Regrets of the Heart
by timeaftertime09
Summary: It's been six years since Betty rejected Daniel in London. What happens when she returns home?
1. Chapter 1

_This idea came to me after watching the reunion at the ATX Festival. Please feel free to read and review! Also, if you think the rating needs to be upped or not, please let me know. And if you haven't already, please go on Twitter and tweet #HuluBringBackUglyBetty - the cast is all for a 2-hour movie on Hulu, but they need our help to make it happen. Thanks! :)_

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"Betty, I need to tell you something . . . Remember before you left, I told you that I couldn't live without you?" Daniel began, nervously, as they stood in her flat after their dinner together.

"Yeah, you told me I was really important to MODE and offered me the position as a full-fledged editor and a big raise," she recalled, not following.

"I also meant it personally," he confessed. "I offered you that position because after I said those words, I couldn't bring myself to admit how I really felt at the time. Not that you didn't deserve that position – you did. But I was afraid when I saw your eyes widen like you'd seen a ghost and I second-guessed my decision. So I covered. The job offer was a way to make you stay. It was a way to give me more time until I got up the courage to tell you the truth."

Betty could feel her stomach flip. Her eyes widened the same as that day. She should have been prepared for this. Claire had tried to warn her, she just couldn't believe it was true. Not even when Daniel had shown up that afternoon or taken her to a 5-star restaurant for dinner did she fully believe it was out of love – not _that_ kind of love, anyway.

"Daniel -" she began.

"I-I love you, Betty. I know this is probably a shock. It was a shock for me, too. But you taught me how to love unconditionally. Because of that, I was finally able to see that I love you. I love everything about you - good and bad. Not that there's anything bad about you, but you know what I mean. I would do anything to protect you . . . anything to make you happy. All I'm asking for is a chance to see where things could go – a chance to be something more than just friends. That's why I came here. I needed a new beginning and I want to share that beginning with you," he revealed.

"Daniel, I -" she attempted to speak, but was interrupted by his lips on hers; soft and hesitant at first, then more passionate as he felt her reciprocate. His tongue grazed her teeth before entering, exploring the depths of her mouth. His hands went from her cheeks to her hair then slowly traveled down her back. _God, he was good._ If this was what kissing Daniel was like, she never wanted to stop. She'd never been kissed so fully or passionately by any other man. It was like his lips were meant for hers. But she had to let go. She couldn't do this – not now.

"No," Betty moaned, leaning her forehead on his, her hands weakly pressing against his well-developed chest, her eyes staring into his hopeful baby blues. How the hell did she not realize how sexy this man was all these years? Well, she'd acknowledged he was sexy, but it was more like a 'bananas are yellow, Daniel is sexy' thing. Now she was really understanding the why and how behind the fact. His sincerity, his kisses, the way he looked at her, the way she knew his heart. She desperately wanted to say 'yes' instead.

"No?" Daniel asked. "I-I'm sorry. I just had to do that. I couldn't wait one more second not knowing what it was like. You didn't act like you were uncomfortable? Were you?"

" _No!_ I wasn't – I-I didn't expect it to feel that way, that's all. I thought for sure it would be awkward. But that was . . . _amazing_ – more than amazing," Betty admitted.

"Amazing's good, right?" he questioned, confused.

"Of course it's good, Daniel. But we're friends – we can't cross that line. I-I can't – _we_ can't. Not now. There's way too much at stake. I love you too much to lose you. I've got my new job and my new life here . . . I can't handle a new relationship, too – especially one that I can't afford not to put my whole heart into. And you deserve that, Daniel. You deserve so much more than I can give you right now," she explained, caressing his cheek.

"Yeah, I get it. I don't want to hold you back from your dream," he sighed, disappointed. "I, uh, I guess I should go. I've gotta make some decisions about where to live and work . . ."

"Daniel, please don't be mad at me. I'm glad you're here – I could really use a friend right now. I'm probably asking too much, but please stay – I need you," Betty pleaded.

"I'm not mad, Betty . . . just disappointed," he clarified.

"That's usually worse than mad," she sighed, lowering her head and feeling extremely guilty.

Daniel gently lifted her chin.

"Hey, we're good. I understand. I'm just gonna need a little time - a few days to re-evaluate some things. I'll call you, okay?" he said, lovingly kissing her forehead, allowing his lips to linger.

"Thank you," she told him and held him tight. Daniel's strong arms wrapped around her and for the first time she felt different in his embrace, loved in a new way. And as he tenderly pressed his lips to the top of her head then rested his head on hers, she almost wanted to tell him she'd changed her mind. But she stood firm and kept her resolve. This job was the opportunity of a lifetime. A chance at love would have to wait - even if that chance with Daniel was gone by the time she was ready for it.

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It was six years later. That night was the last time Betty had seen or talked to Daniel. She had tried to get in touch with him, but he had disappeared and changed his number. She realized that she was the one who had rejected him, only it felt the opposite by the way he had vanished on her without warning. She'd thought that they were okay, that they could get past everything. But days, then weeks, then months went by without anything from him. No one at home had seen or heard from him either.

Betty had tried to tell herself that it was better that way. Daniel was no longer around, therefore no reason for her to have a distraction from her work – be it friendship or the curiosity of something more. He was gone. Gone. Why did that word have to seem so final . . . like there was no hope for a future – _ever?_ And why the hell would she think that there would be? Did she honestly believe Daniel would be pining away for her forever? Did she think that was fair? Of course not – it was selfish. But for once in her life was it so wrong to be selfish? She had sacrificed so much for others over the years, couldn't she just have this?

She'd had dates, but most of them were publicity related and nothing more than a way to get herself on London's version of Page 6 in the tabloids. After that brief moment with Daniel, Betty couldn't see herself getting serious with anyone else. Every other man seemed to pale in comparison. Eventually, her work had consumed her – or more truthfully she had allowed it to consume her in order to keep her mind off of Daniel. She continued to come up with enough ways to busy herself that, over time, she honestly believed that she didn't have time for a personal life anymore.

In hind sight, she realized that she had been proving Wilhelmina right. She had chosen work over love, when years ago she had been so naïve, thinking she could have it all. That resonated with her. What had made her change so much that work was more important than the people she loved? Her family? Her friends? Her . . . Daniel? She hadn't seen her family except on holidays. She'd barely had time to talk with them for five minutes a day before someone or something interrupted them. The same was true for her friends. She finally had the job she wanted, but at what cost?

Betty had heard from Marc a few days ago. According to a phone call from Alexis to Claire, Daniel had been working with her at MODE Paris. He then had started a charity foundation under Molly's name for children with cancer, once realizing there was something he enjoyed doing on his own. She was happy for Daniel. If he was happy, she was happy for him. He deserved to have accomplished something without it being handed to him.

Betty missed him. She missed his smile, his laugh, his voice, their talks, his adorable insecurities, his annoying digs, their inside jokes, his hugs, his incredibly blue eyes, his lips – definitely his lips . . . she missed all of him. _Shit!_ She'd blown it – she'd blown a chance to be with Daniel for real – not just as his trusty sidekick or his best friend, but as his equal, his love.

It wasn't as if she'd been crushing on Daniel since she'd met him – that was far from the truth. Only he had grown so much since then and so had she. When he'd told her he loved her it had been so surreal. He was her best friend - not boyfriend material. He was just Daniel. But that kiss . . . _damn_ . . . that kiss changed everything she thought and felt about him. She still dreamed about that kiss all these years later. _She'd given Daniel up for a freakin' job?_ True, difficult and scary as it was, it had been the job of her dreams. But she would trade it all in a second if she could change the past, change how she had ended something that had only just begun.

Claire had given her a call earlier that week about running a new magazine at Meade. At the time, Betty wasn't sure if she was ready to go back there and face the past. However, she was now contemplating Claire's offer. It was more money and a chance to spend more time with her family and friends again . . . She'd missed them like crazy . . . Her magazine in London was running smoothly . . . Maybe it was time for her to give the reigns to someone else who she knew would take care of it and keep its integrity? She needed a break from her life in London – maybe a permanent one if necessary. She had to fix the damage she had done – if not to Daniel, to everyone else she cared about. She had to go home.

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As Betty got up the courage to enter the Meade Publications building for the first time in six years, her mind drifted back to all the memories she'd had there. The majority of them involved Daniel . . . Daniel. No matter how hard she tried, he would never be out of her heart. Betty imagined what it would be like to see Daniel again . . . to kiss him one more time . . . to feel his arms around her. She could almost smell the cologne he used to wear. She apparently drifted too far to look where she was going before she smacked right into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" Betty apologized, then realized who it was. Her eyes had to be deceiving her. " _Daniel?!_ "

" _Betty?!_ " Daniel said, just as surprised.

"What are you doing here?!" they both questioned simultaneously.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much for reading and/or reviewing! Please keep tweeting #HuluBringBackUglyBetty on Twitter! Thanks! :)_

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"Well, my name _is_ on the building," Daniel scoffed.

"Don't be a smartass, Daniel," Betty warned. "I'm not the one who left without a trace six years ago."

"Sorry . . . You know what, maybe I'm not. What the hell choice did I have, Betty? To hang around knowing I meant nothing more to you than just a friend? To wait for the moment when you said it was okay to take the risk of being together? I can't just turn my feelings off and on when you want me to. I'm not your god damn puppet!" he retorted.

"Damn it, Daniel, that's not fair!" Betty objected. "I told you I wanted to wait because I knew I was busy with my new magazine and I couldn't concentrate on us the way we both deserved. I didn't want to lose our friendship, too. Only you decided it was all or nothing without even giving me a warning. You told me you'd call me and then you disappeared. You went and sulked somewhere because you didn't get your way. If I had known it was an ultimatum, if I had known I would've lost our friendship regardless, maybe we could have compromised. Maybe we could have tried. But I didn't – you didn't let me in. Running and hiding must be your M.O. – you did it with Sofia, and you did it with me _twice._ You'd think you'd realize by now that it never solves anything. But I guess you haven't."

"Are you done yet?" he scoffed. "You know, I don't think I did that much damage seeing how you were on Page 4 of the British tabloids practically every week with someone new."

"That was for publicity, Daniel. Half of those guys were gay and we were doing each other a favor getting press," she defended.

"Really? Why the hell should I believe you?" he asked.

"I don't know, Daniel – why shouldn't you? We both know I'm a terrible liar. And if that isn't enough proof for you, would it help if I told you that I haven't been able to think about being with any other man after you kissed me?" Betty confessed.

"Good. Maybe now you know what it's like," Daniel snapped and left her standing outside the building.

Betty was completely flummoxed. How could Daniel be so cruel? She was only trying to save their friendship, save them both from heartache. Part of her wanted to call Claire and tell her something had come up and she had to postpone their meeting. But she knew she couldn't avoid the place for forever. And it wasn't like she'd bump into Daniel every day. He had a charity to run. She took a deep breath, entered the building, and took the elevator to Claire's offices.

"Betty! Sweetheart, how are you? I've missed you so much!" Claire greeted her with a warm hug.

"Hi, Mrs. Meade. I've missed you, too!" Betty told her.

"Darling, how many times have I told you to call me Claire?" she insisted.

"Sorry . . . Claire," Betty corrected herself. "I'm great! My magazine is doing really well, and London has so many places to see and things to do -"

"Betty, how have you _really_ been? You can skip the niceties; I have no tolerance for bullshit. I want details on one of my favorite girls," Claire demanded.

"Well, to be honest . . . not so good," Betty timidly revealed.

"It's my son, isn't it?" Claire assumed.

Betty reluctantly nodded.

"I had a feeling," the older woman replied, knowingly.

"I hurt him . . . but he hurt me, too," Betty revealed.

"Sometimes the greatest loves endure the most pain and suffering. You'll find a way back to each other," Claire assured her.

"No, I don't think we will. It's been too long," Betty shook her head. "I don't think Daniel feels the same way about me anymore. Our timing is off – when he was ready, I wasn't. And when I was, he was nowhere to be found. I lost my best friend . . . I lost the man who could've been my last . . . I guess I'll never know."

"He's here right now," Claire told her.

"I know. We ran into each other outside. And trust me, Claire, Daniel wants nothing to do with me," Betty said.

"He will, sweetheart. Just give him time," Claire advised.

"Look at you. You should be comforting your son – not me. Honestly, I wonder why you're even speaking to me after what happened," Betty confessed.

"Because I know there are two sides to every story, and my son can be a stubborn-ass, childish fool," Claire replied. "That being said, I won't dismiss your faults either, Betty. You turned Daniel away when I know deep down you had feelings for him, too. You were so brave at taking that job in London. What were you so scared of with Daniel?"

" _Nothing!_ . . . And . . . everything . . ." Betty admitted. "Mostly of losing him, of losing my best friend. But I guess it didn't matter, because I lost him anyway."

Betty wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes. Claire gave her a tissue.

"Thank you," she said, sniffling.

"It will be alright. Things between you and Daniel will get better. I promise," Claire assured her, patting Betty's hand.

"I hope so," Betty sighed. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess. Seeing Daniel again just affected me more than I thought it would."

"It's perfectly fine, Betty," Claire told her. "Now, about this new magazine . . . I was thinking MODE for the average woman – chic knockoff styles that people can afford and models that look like your average body off the street. Meaningful pieces that appeal to the real lives of women. Women in politics, weight insecurities, sex issues, gender equality . . . anything you can come up with."

"That sounds amazing!" Betty cheered up a little. "And you want me to run it?"

"Yes, I think you and Daniel would make it a true success," Claire smiled as her son entered her office.

"Daniel?! Wait, you never mentioned he had anything to do with this before?" Betty questioned, surprised for the second time that day.

"And you never mentioned Betty to me either!" Daniel protested.

"I know. But I wanted to pitch you the idea separately, and hear what you honestly thought of it, without putting each other into the equation. I'm sorry," Claire apologized. "I hope you will still consider my offer?"

"Of course . . . I'm just not sure about working with Daniel again. We couldn't get along for five minutes, outside. How could we possibly run an entire magazine together, constantly having to work side-by-side day after day?"

" _Her_ working with _me?_ What about _me_ working with _her?_ " Daniel countered.

"Daniel, you did it with Wilhelmina. And you two certainly don't hate each other," Claire pointed out.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Betty scoffed.

"That's – wow . . . ! After everything, _you_ hate _me?!"_ Daniel questioned, incredulously.

"No, _you_ hate _me!_ " Betty corrected him. "You made that pretty clear."

"Betty, I don't hate you. I . . . I don't feel anything anymore," Daniel told her.

"Then you won't object to working with her then?" Claire questioned.

"I still think it's a terrible idea – I mean, it's obvious Betty still has some issues to get over," Daniel observed.

"Oh, come on! Daniel, don't you dare put this on me!" Betty argued. "And who said I felt anything for you either?!"

"You did – when we were talking outside. Look, I'm just saying that it might be hard for you to work so close with me. I wouldn't want the magazine to be compromised because of it," he replied smugly.

"Get over yourself, Daniel. I'm a professional. And I can assure you that that attitude of yours is making you less and less attractive by the minute," Betty scoffed.

"Good, I'll let Maggie know she has nothing to worry about, then," Daniel replied.

"Who's Maggie?" Betty asked, curious.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't find someone else?" Daniel retorted. "Talk about an ego . . ."

"I never said that, Daniel. Stop thinking you know me, because you don't – not anymore," she claimed.

"I'm not sure I ever did . . ." he muttered.

"What?" Betty asked.

"Nothing," Daniel replied. "So when do we start? Now that we've both established we're professionals."

"I . . . I still have some legal paperwork to fill out on both sides. Plus, I need to officially inform Lindsay Dunne that I'm resigning as EIC of my magazine in London," she answered, still unsure if she truly was ready to jump into this predicament with him.

"So Monday?" he asked.

"Sure. Monday," she agreed, faking a smile.

"Great, Monday it is!" Claire exclaimed. "Betty, here are the forms you need to complete. Now, why don't we go somewhere and celebrate – lunch is on me!"

"I just remembered I have to meet Maggie. You two go ahead," Daniel declined, and gave his mother a hug before leaving. "Betty."

"Daniel," Betty politely nodded.

"It isn't as bad as you think," Claire assured her. "Now, there's a new restaurant a few blocks from here I'd like you to try. Their cheesecake is to die for!"

"Sounds great!" Betty feigned enthusiasm and prepared to go on another emotional binge-eating fest.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much for reading and/or reviewing! Please keep up the good work tweeting #HuluBringBackUglyBetty on Twitter. Thanks! :)_

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Betty dreaded Monday. Having to face Daniel again and work with him was the last thing she looked forward to. After his attitude the week before, she realized they were definitely in two very different places.

He was so bitter and arrogant. He wasn't the same person she had fallen in love with. He resembled Old Daniel, the Daniel she first met. She knew she was partially responsible for his change, but so was he. It was his decision to cut her out of his life – not hers.

Now he had moved on, and despite how much she still loved him, Betty realized she needed to do the same. But most of all, she just needed to find a way to get along with Daniel period. She took a deep breath and walked into his unfinished office.

"Hey," Daniel said, quietly.

"Hey," Betty replied, putting her coffee and bagel down before taking a seat.

"Thanks. Onion bagel, light cream cheese, and hazelnut skim latte, two sugars. You remembered," he smiled slightly and took a bite.

"Actually that was mine," she commented.

"Oh. Sorry. Here," he handed them back.

"No, go ahead. I'll have Kaitlyn get me another one," she told him.

"Who's Kaitlyn?" he asked.

"My assistant," she said.

"I should probably get one of those," he replied. "Meantime, could you send out some ads on Craigslist for hiring a staff and go over the Letter from the Editor I came up with last night?"

"I already have Kaitlyn on the ads, and aren't you forgetting something?" she hinted, trying really hard not to get annoyed.

"Oh, yeah! The name. I narrowed it down to three and I wanted your opinion," he pulled out a piece of paper from a pile on his desk.

"Daniel," she spoke.

"I kinda like the first one," he continued.

" _Daniel_ ," she raised her voice a little louder.

"But the second one's a little edgier. It might appeal more toward the younger twenty-somethings," he kept talking.

" _Daniel!_ " Betty shouted and ripped the paper from his hand.

" _Ow!_ What the hell, Betty?! You gave me a freakin' papercut!" he complained.

Betty sighed and searched for a first aid kit.

"Daniel, did you ever think to enter me into this equation?" she asked, and used an alcohol pad to clean the cut.

" _Shit!_ What are you trying to do, burn my finger off?!" he exclaimed, immediately pulling his finger away.

"Don't be such a baby!" she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not being a baby – it hurts!" he whined.

"Okay . . . sorry," she softened a little and gently placed a Bandaid on his finger. "I can see some things never change . . ."

"Hey, that stuff really stings!" he defended. "What happened to the brown bottle?"

"You mean the hydrogen peroxide? You have to buy that separately – it doesn't come in every kit. I had to make a special trip to the drugstore after the first time you had a cut," she recalled.

"Yeah, I remember that," he smiled, his blue eyes gazing into hers.

They stared at each other for a while before Daniel broke the moment.

"So, uh, what did you mean about me not including you? I just asked which name you liked better. And you're editing my letter," he questioned, confused.

"Daniel, I'm not your assistant or your associate editor anymore. I'm your partner, your equal. You can't just come up with a name for the magazine or write the Letter from the Editor on your own," Betty informed him.

"Yeah . . . sorry. I guess seeing you back here makes me remember when you _did_ work for me. It's hard to make that transition, see that you're now a bigshot EIC," he explained.

"I'm not a bigshot EIC. I ran one tiny magazine in London," Betty insisted, modestly.

"Don't sell yourself short, Betty. It wasn't MODE, but you made it big. You've done an amazing job with that magazine and you are a very well-respected editor," Daniel insisted.

"You read my magazine?" she asked, surprised.

"One of your first subscribers," he told her.

"Really? But I thought that you -" she began.

"Didn't want anything to do with you? Yeah, but it didn't mean that I stopped caring about you . . . that I wasn't curious about how you were doing. I couldn't just turn that off," he revealed. "I still do . . . care about you."

"Oh . . ." Betty managed, shocked that he felt that way after how he'd acted.

"So. I'm sorry I treated you like my junior editor instead of my partner. If we're gonna do this, we've gotta be a team, right?" he held up his hand for a high-five.

"Right," she agreed, and hesitantly hit his hand.

"So. What are _your_ thoughts on everything?" he asked.

Betty looked in her briefcase and got out her notes. It was awkward, but at least they were making progress.

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"Daniel, we have to prepare for this interview. You can't just walk in there knowing nothing about Ria Lynn's work!" Betty insisted, three weeks later.

"Don't you think I know that, Betty? I'm not an idiot and I'm not some screw-up. I've done this a million times before. I just don't have time right now to read 500 pages of feminine spiritual crap! Can't we just give it to Jack in Features?" he asked.

"No. Daniel, he's already busy with an article on the election and _this_ is the cover story. This book is huge right now. It's on Oprah's must-read list and it's one of the Top 10 best sellers, and a movie is being made about it. Not to mention, Ria Lynn is a really popular singer right now, too. What are you doing that's soooo important you can't focus on your job?" she questioned.

" _Nothing!_ . . . It's just Maggie and I haven't had a chance to see each other that much since you and I started working together. I mean, she understands that we're just starting out and things will get better after a while. But she's getting a little upset that we don't have any time to ourselves," he told her.

"Mmm-hmmm . . ." Betty gave him a knowing look.

"What? Don't give me that 'I told you so' look!" he warned.

"I didn't say anything, Daniel," she maintained, fighting an amused smile.

"Look, this is completely different. Maggie isn't in the publishing business. She doesn't understand," he defended.

"It doesn't matter if you understand. It's difficult regardless," Betty insisted.

"It _does_ matter, Betty! It matters, okay?! And there's nothing you can say to convince me it doesn't!" he slammed the book down and slammed the door to her office.

Betty sighed and flopped on her couch.

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"Hey, can we . . . talk?" Daniel asked, knocking on the door to Betty's office.

"I don't know, can we?" she retorted, still pissed from the other day.

"Betty, can you just listen to me for a minute? I-I can't deal with this right now, I-I -" his voice cracked, he was nervously pacing back and forth as he ran his hands through his hair, and she could tell he was trying not to cry.

"Daniel, what's wrong?" she asked, motioning for him to sit down on the couch with her.

"I-It's Becks . . . He, uh, he was in a motorcycle accident last night in Santa Monica . . . h-he was drunk and h-he, uh, he ran a red light. A car hit him and h-he d-died on impact," he managed, and couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Oh my god! Daniel, I'm so sorry . . ." she told him, and rubbed his shoulder, unsure of their boundaries anymore.

Daniel turned and put his arms around her, clinging to her as if she were his lifeline. After a while, he pulled himself together.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't expect you to do that anymore," he apologized. "I just . . . you're the only person left here who knew him . . . I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing."

"No, Daniel, it's fine. I'm here for you, if you need me," she assured him.

"Friends?" he asked.

"Friends," she smiled. "Do you need to take the day off? Make some plans for going to the funeral?"

"No, um, I'll be okay. I'm not positive, but I think they're gonna have the funeral in New York. Um, I, uh, I need something to do besides sitting at home watching crappy TV," he ran his hand through his hair.

"I understand. When Mami died, I had to distract myself by constantly keeping busy, or I knew I would completely fall apart," she sympathized.

"Becks and I . . . we hadn't talked in years. We were both too busy, but now I just wish I had taken the time to hang out with him more . . ." Daniel said.

"I'm sure he knew you cared, Daniel. Friends grow apart sometimes when they get older and life gets in the way. It's not your fault," she assured him.

"Thanks . . . Betty, would you do something with me? Something Becks and I used to do?"

"I'm not gonna be your wing-girl or go to a strip club with you," Betty joked.

Daniel chuckled.

"Will you go see a movie with me? We'd always pick whatever guy movie that was out that week and go see it the day after we'd gone out clubbing. We'd buy all kinds of junk food and try to get over our hangovers," he told her. "I'll buy you dinner after?"

"Daniel, it's 8:00 in the morning. And I'm not sure we should be going to a movie or having dinner anyway – you have a girlfriend," Betty reminded him.

"Right. Yeah, it's just Maggie had this last minute business trip today and she'll be gone all week and I – never mind," he brushed it off.

"You don't want to be alone," she assumed.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Is there anyone I could call? Tyler? Your mom?" she offered. "Maybe you could FaceTime Alexis?"

"No, Tyler's got Amanda and their new baby, and I really don't need Mom hovering over me right now. Alexis is busy at MODE Paris. It's fine, Betty, I'll be okay," he told her.

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I just don't think with our history, that we need to be hanging out on a personal level when you have a girlfriend," she explained. "You know I'd go with you if it weren't for that. It's just things are complicated now."

"It's okay, Betty. I get it . . . and you're probably right. Even though we're just friends, it's still not a good idea," he agreed. "Will you at least come to the funeral with me?"

"Sure. I don't see anything wrong with paying my respects. Although, mainly what I remember about Becks is that he hit on me every time he showed up in town," she smiled, sadly. He was so much like Daniel. If he had only had someone to guide him in the right direction, maybe he'd still be alive today . . .

"Wait – he _hit_ on you?! _Jesus, Betty!_ Why didn't you tell me that sooner?! I would've kicked his ass!" Daniel said, ready to pounce on someone.

"Daniel, calm down! It wasn't that big of a deal. He was very charming, actually. And flattered as I am that you've always felt the need to protect me, and apparently still do, I can take care of myself," Betty assured him.

"Did he touch you or anything?" he asked, concerned.

" _No!_ Nothing like that," she reassured him. "Every time he showed up, he just told me 'Darlin', you look prettier every time I see you' and winked at me or kissed my cheek. And the last time he came, he said those words again and asked me out for drinks."

"Did you go with him?" Daniel questioned.

"Of course I didn't, Daniel! It's _Becks_ – he's like the old you on steroids or Viagra or whatever . . ." she joked.

Daniel started laughing until he was hysterical and Betty was almost as bad.

"Thanks . . . I needed that," he told her when he finally caught his breath again.

"Glad I could help . . . Hey, if you're up for it, Papi's making the whole family dinner tonight? Everyone will be there, so it'll be more of a get together for friends. And you have to eat, right?" she offered, feeling bad.

"Sure. Sounds like fun, and I could use some more cheering up right now," he agreed.

"Great," she smiled.

"Listen, Betty, I'm sorry about the other day. I guess I overreacted a little. It finally hit me that maybe you were right. Maybe it really wasn't the right time for us. I didn't want to admit it," Daniel confessed.

"I was trying to save us both from getting hurt, Daniel. That's all. I knew what my limitations were. I knew how it was when we were working together before. We were so busy at first that I barely had time for my family . . . The last thing I wanted was to lose you," she assured him.

"I wish I had stayed . . . that I stood by you. You shouldn't have gone through everything alone. I should have been there for you, like you were always there for me," he told her.

"Daniel, I get it. You were hurt. You thought you had at least one part of your life figured out and I screwed it up. You gave up so much for me and I turned you down. I shouldn't have done that. I should have at least tried. I was scared. I had already lost so much by moving to London . . ." she said, reliving it for the millionth time in six years.

"Why don't we agree to stop analyzing the past and concentrate on the future. I mean, I think our magazine is gonna be incredible," Daniel smiled.

Betty smiled back.

"So where's that dumbass book I'm supposed to read?" he asked.

"Here. But Daniel, you don't have to read it. I know you're going through a lot right now," Betty handed him the book.

"I'll get started on it," he took the book from her. "And Betty?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Thank you," he smiled and left.

Betty smiled knowing they were okay with each other again.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you again for reading and reviewing! :) #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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The funeral service was similar to Daniel's father's - lots of people, lots of media coverage surrounding the closed ceremony at the church. Betty could tell that Daniel was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the questions he was receiving as they made their way inside. At one point, he took her hand and didn't let go until it was time for him to get up and speak. When he sat back down, his hand automatically went to hers again until he and the rest of the pallbearers needed to perform their duty.

It was nice . . . being needed by Daniel again. Obviously, the circumstances were horrible. But knowing he trusted her enough to lean on her meant so much. She felt like they were finally making their way back to each other as close friends.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Daniel asked, absently running his thumb over her knuckles.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"You wanna get some coffee before we head back to work?" he offered.

"Sure. But you don't have to go back to work today, Daniel. You're allowed to take the day off," Betty reminded him.

"I can't, Betty. I know you're trying to help and I really appreciate it, but like I said before, I need to be doing something," he said.

"Okay. But I don't think your mind is truly going to be focused today. Why don't we get some coffee and I'll take you up on that movie?" she suggested, unsure if it was really a good idea or not. She knew he'd be no use at work, though. And he certainly didn't need to be alone – not when he couldn't even let go of her hand.

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"Chinese is here!" Betty said, setting the containers on the coffee table and sitting beside Daniel on the sectional in her new apartment. "I really liked the movie. It was kind of confusing at first since I haven't seen any of the other ones, but it was good. Iron Man was my favorite."

"Who knew you had such a big crush on Robert Downey Jr.? Honestly, I thought Chris Evans was more your type. I'd never have guessed you had a thing for bad boys," he teased. "Now I know which movie we're starting with first to catch you up."

"I do _not_ have a crush on him – or a thing for bad boys!" Betty insisted, bumping him from the side. "Well . . . maybe a little."

"You laughed at practically everything he said in the movie or got that look on your face like you wanted to jump him he was so sexy," he maintained.

"Daniel, that is _so_ not true! And since when do you know that look?" she countered.

"I know all of your looks, Betty," he told her, staring at her with flirting eyes. "I've seen that one multiple times before – you drooling over other guys," he said.

"Okay . . . _That's_ embarrassing," she stared at the ground.

"Betty, it's natural. You saw me checking out hundreds of girls before," Daniel excused. "It's not a big deal. Besides, you're so cute when you have a crush!" he continued to goad her.

"Daniel . . ." Betty playfully shoved his chest in protest.

He caught her hand and held it, turning serious.

"Thank you for today . . . for being there for me when I needed you," he told her and put his arms around her. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

"Hey . . . Are you okay?" she asked, concerned, as she pulled back a little, their faces mere inches apart.

"Yeah," he claimed, brushing the hair away from her face and gazing at her for a moment. "Your eyes are really beautiful . . . They were always beautiful, but I can see them better now that you aren't wearing glasses."

"Thank you," she blushed. "So are yours, even when they're sad. I'm so sorry you lost your friend."

"Me, too. Seems like I've been losing a lot of them the past few years – either metaphorically or physically. Not that I had that many to begin with," he observed.

"You still have me . . . I know it doesn't make up for everyone else, but I'm here - always," she promised.

They both hesitated then Daniel leaned in, their lips almost touching when Betty pulled away.

"Daniel, we can't," she reminded him.

"I know," he sighed in frustration. "Betty, I'm sorry."

"It's, okay, Daniel. It's been a long day," she said, understanding. "Why don't we just watch the movie?"

"Okay," he said, pressing 'play' on the remote and picking up the container of sweet 'n' sour chicken. He took a few bites, then handed it back to Betty.

"Can I trade places with Gwyneth Paltrow?" Betty swooned, staring at Tony Stark.

Daniel chuckled as he picked through another container.

"I've created a monster by taking you to that movie," he teased. "Now you'll start comparing every other guy to your celebrity crush."

"I already did that anyway, Daniel," she admitted.

"With who? Lance Bass?" he tormented.

"No . . . you," she timidly revealed.

"Oh," he nervously cleared his throat.

"I-I shouldn't have said that. I wasn't thinking," she said, her face red.

"Don't worry about it, Betty. It's not like you're the only one who's had an inappropriate celebrity crush," he hinted.

"Who?" she questioned. "Selma Hayek?"

Daniel shook his head and kept staring at her.

" _Me?_ Daniel, I'm not a celebrity," she insisted.

"Are you sure about that, Tornado Girl?" he playfully challenged.

Betty smacked him with a pillow.

"Seriously, Betty, within the past few years you've become really well-known in the publishing business. People are just as interested in you as they are in me," Daniel told her.

"Really? I guess you _could_ be right . . . I never thought of myself like that. I just thought everyone stared and pointed at me because I spilled something on my top or was trailing toilet paper from my shoe," she admitted.

Daniel smiled lovingly at her.

"What?" she asked, puzzled.

"Nothing. I was just thinking," he covered.

"Glad to see you're still making that a habit," she teased.

Daniel chuckled and threw a fortune cookie at her. Betty threw one back.

"'Everything will get better with time'," she opened her cookie.

"'The choices you make now will impact your future'," Daniel read. "Both pretty much state the obvious, don't they?"

"Yeah," Betty agreed.

"Wanna finish the movie?" he asked.

"Sure," she smiled and settled in on the couch.

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Betty slowly woke up the next morning, refusing to open her eyes just yet. She was glad it was Saturday, because she really needed a break from everything – death, drama, Daniel. It was strange how all of her problems started with Ds. She was comfortable, yet she could tell she wasn't in her bed. Whatever she was lying on continued to slightly rise up and down every few seconds and faintly smelled of familiar, expensive cologne. Her eyes popped open when she finally made the connection. _Daniel!_

"Daniel!" she exclaimed, shaking him gently. "Daniel, you have to wake up!"

"Betty, leave me alone. It's the weekend," he mumbled and turned away from her.

"Daniel, I need you to wake up," she insisted.

"Baby, please let me sleep," he pleaded.

Her heart skipped a beat at the term of endearment, but she only focused on it for a brief moment. Now was not the time to obsess over the inappropriate nickname Daniel had given her. She needed to get him out of the apartment before someone saw him.

"Daniel, you shouldn't be here. You should be home, in your own apartment," Betty told him. " _Daniel!_ "

"What?!" he exclaimed as he shot up, fully awake.

"Daniel, listen to me," she said, sensing he was still disoriented.

"Betty, it's Saturday. Why the hell are you waking me up?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Daniel, what if someone catches you here?" Betty worried.

"Who? Do you know anyone in this building who knows me, too?" he asked.

Betty thought for a moment.

"No, not really," she said. "Okay, fine. Go back to sleep. I'll be in my bed."

"Is that an invitation?" he flirted.

"Daniel, I hope you were kidding. Because if you weren't, I think you seriously need to re-evaluate your life right now," Betty warned. "I mean just the fact that we slept on the couch together makes me nervous. Is Maggie really going to believe that nothing happened between us when I woke up _literally_ on top of you?"

"Relax, Betty. It was a joke," he swore. "I want you to know that I'm not the kind of guy who would cheat on his girlfriend."

"Good," she sighed, relieved. Only, the way he tried to assure her seemed as if he was promising that he'd never do that to her either. Maybe she was overanalyzing everything.

"Maggie's not going to have a problem with me sleeping here because she's not going to find out," he told her.

"Wait. Daniel, you _have_ to tell her!" Betty insisted, shocked that he was considering not to.

"Why, Betty? So she can freak out and obsess over nothing? Nothing happened. We watched a movie, we fell asleep. I don't want to upset her when we did _nothing wrong_ ," he reasoned.

"Okay. I just know that if _I_ were Maggie, and you apparently did 'nothing wrong' with a girl you used to be _in love with_ , I'd want to know. I wouldn't want to have any secrets with the man that I loved," she advised him to tell the truth.

There was an awkward silence.

"She doesn't know," Daniel quietly revealed.

"What?" Betty asked in disbelief.

"She doesn't know about you and me and what almost was between us," he clarified.

" _Daniel_ , how could you not have told her that?!" she yelled.

"It's not exactly like there's a good time to tell your girlfriend that you're working with someone who you almost m-" he stopped himself.

"Almost what, Daniel? Was the 'M' word what I think it was? Did you plan on -" Betty questioned, shocked and feeling even guiltier than she ever had before if that word was what she thought it was.

"Let it go, Betty – it's doesn't matter anymore!" Daniel snapped.

Betty lowered her head in shame and bit her lip to keep from crying. She took a breath and focused on the present conflict.

"Daniel, you can't do this to Maggie – to anyone. You're not directly lying to her, but you're lying by omission. Is that how _you_ would want to be treated?" Betty asked.

"No . . . but it's complicated," Daniel defended. "I just don't want to hurt her or worry her unnecessarily."

"Daniel, it's your relationship. You can say or not say whatever you want. But I'm just telling you that I don't agree with the way you're handling it, for whatever my opinion's worth," she said and went back to bed.

When Betty woke up again, Daniel was gone. She wasn't sure whether to take that as a good or a bad thing. She tried not to think about it all. If he wanted to lie to his girlfriend, that was his business. Maybe it was a good thing she'd decided not to be with Daniel. Who knows what he'd hide from _her_. She shook her head and began to make plans to be with her family.

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Monday came and Betty worried again about how Daniel had taken her budding into his relationship. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. But she couldn't help speaking her mind if she knew she could save him from getting hurt or hurting someone else. Not to mention, she felt partially to blame, since she was the one who had gotten Daniel through Becks' death. It was _her_ apartment that he had slept at, _her_ body that had slept on top of him – unintentionally of course, and _her_ lips that Daniel had almost kissed.

She knew that Daniel wasn't falling for her again. She had just been there, and he had been vulnerable and confused. If Marc had taken her place, Daniel probably would've hugged him and cried on his shoulder. Regardless, she was the one who had been there for Daniel, and she did feel guilty for what had happened and for hiding it from Maggie.

When Daniel came into her office, Betty was prepared to confront him. Only Daniel managed to speak first.

"I told Maggie . . . about us," he announced.

"Oh," Betty said, surprised that he'd taken her advice.

"So now she knows everything," he said.

"Everything?" she repeated.

"Yeah . . . you and me six years ago and you and me the other day," he confirmed.

"How did she take it?" Betty asked.

"She, um, she was upset. You were right . . . I should've told her to begin with," he admitted. "But she's willing to work it out."

"I'm sorry, Daniel," she told him.

"Yeah," he scoffed.

"No, I really am sorry," Betty insisted then, tried her best to be positive. "It's good that she still wants to be with you, right?"

"Yeah . . . yeah, it's good," he agreed, halfheartedly.

"But . . .?" she prompted, sensing he was leaving something out.

"But one of her conditions is she . . . she, uh, she doesn't want me to see you anymore," he reluctantly revealed.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you so much for reading and/or reviewing! :) #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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"W-What?" Betty managed. "Daniel, that's impossible – we work together! Does she expect me to quit or something?"

"No! I mean, at first she did, but I told her that you were completely off limits. So she told me _I_ needed to quit . . . that I still had my charity to run," he told her.

"What did you say?" she asked, nervously.

"I said no way. I understood she was pissed but I was _not_ going to quit my job to make her feel better over something that was _nothing_ ," he answered.

"What happened then?" Betty questioned.

"We fought some more . . . she threw some things – including that thumbs-up mug you gave me all those years ago . . . Eventually we came to the agreement that I could stay if I worked at home and only came in for staff and client meetings, interviews, and shoots - plus any special events like the launch party. Basically, anything where other people are present in the room is acceptable to her."

"I see," she remarked, trying not to explode. Why didn't she just inject a tracking chip in Daniel? Or strap on one of those camera helmets?

"I told her I'd try it . . ." he said, anticipating her reaction.

"Okay," she replied calmly, still biting her tongue.

"We can still talk on the phone and use FaceTime for visual purposes," he said, attempting to soften the blow. "But there's another stipulation, and you're really not gonna like it. She wants me to stop working by 7:00pm every night."

"Daniel, you know that's impossible! Sometimes we've been here 'til midnight with a dilemma – things like that can't be helped," she argued.

"I know, I know!" Daniel agreed. "But those were her terms until she feels she can trust me again."

"So . . . are you willing to do all those things?" she asked.

"Yeah . . . I think I owe it to her to try and make things work. I mean, when you love someone, you have to compromise – right?" he said.

"Yeah," she agreed. Somehow Betty couldn't help but take it as a dig at her for not trying things with him. But again, she could be paranoid.

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The new arrangement with Daniel was awkward at first and sometimes Betty was stuck picking up the slack when he was forced to finish work at a certain time or wasn't there to physically see the work.

"Can you hold it up closer? I can't tell if we need to send it back to graphics for touch ups," Daniel asked as he and Betty FaceTimed on their Ipads.

"Is that better?" Betty said, doing as he requested.

"I still can't tell for sure. What if you emailed the final photos to me?" he suggested.

"Okay," she agreed, annoyed that yet again there were extra steps that had to be made to accommodate Maggie's rules.

"I'm sorry, Betty. This is bullshit, isn't it?" Daniel apologized.

"I didn't say anything, Daniel. I'm staying out of it," she maintained.

"I know you want to," he playfully accused. "I can see it in your eyes. You've got that look where you're dying to tell me how insane this is and what a jackass I am for not standing up for myself and our magazine."

"It's none of my business," she told him.

"Betty, it _is_ your business when it's affecting our work," Daniel claimed. "I'm going to say something to her at dinner tonight. This is the final editing of our first issue. I need to be there in person to go over it with you."

"If that's what you think," she said, still trying to keep her nose out of it.

"Betty, would you stop being so polite? I know you want to say something about this whole situation. Quit acting like I'm some stranger and start acting like my friend! Tell me the truth," he insisted.

"Okay, fine. This entire setup is ridiculous. You need to be there with me to edit photos. Sending copies won't do. There are a million other reasons why you need to be here in person. And . . ." she trailed off.

"And you miss having our morning coffee and bagel together – I know I do. Or having lunch at that sandwich shop down the block? You always switch cheeses with me because you hate Swiss and are too afraid to tell the WWF guy who works there," he added.

Betty giggled.

"He could take both of us down with one of his pinky fingers," she defended.

"See, now that's the Betty I love – I mean -" he covered.

"I know, Daniel," she said. "But we're doing this to save your relationship, right?"

"Right," he sighed.

"That means we have to sacrifice," she reminded him.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm still going to talk to her about the final editing though. That's something I have to do in person, whether she likes it or not."

"Okay," Betty agreed. "So where are you going for dinner tonight?"

"Rodolfo's," he answered, groaning.

"I thought you hated that place?" she questioned.

"I do. But Maggie loves it, so we're going," he explained. "Whatever she wants, she gets. Because if she doesn't, she plays the 'you and me' card like something actually happened."

"Daniel -" Betty started to say something.

"You don't even have to say it. It's pathetic and I can't keep living like this, but what am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"I can't tell you that. It's your decision," she kept silent.

"I miss the old days when you didn't care about boundaries and budding into my life," he half-joked.

They both laughed.

"Back when you caused any guy who you felt wasn't treating me right to lose his job?" she playfully countered.

"Okay, so we both may have gone a little too far to protect each other," he admitted. "Our hearts were in the right place, though."

"Yeah," Betty conceded as they stared in each other's eyes the best they could with technology.

"Well, I'd better go. It's almost 7:00pm and The Warden will be coming here to check on me," he rolled his eyes.

"You make it sound like you're dating Wilhelmina," she joked.

"It's a toss-up, sometimes," he said. "Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Good luck," she told him.

"Thanks," he smiled and hung up.

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Betty and Daniel were really close to finishing their first issue. Only a few last minute tweaks were needed. Daniel succeeded in his talk with Maggie and was actually allowed to be present for the final editing. Betty was surprised Maggie let him out of his cage for 'good behavior'. Okay, she was being more than a little bitter about the situation, but she really didn't care at this point. Whoever this woman was, she had no respect for their careers or for Daniel as a person. She was dictating who he could and couldn't see and how. He was an adult. He had a mind of his own and the right to choose his own friends. If Maggie couldn't trust Daniel, then that was her problem, right? She didn't deserve to be with Daniel.

Or maybe she was being too defensive. What if _she_ were in Maggie's situation? Wouldn't she be just a little bit paranoid of how Daniel was spending his time, if one of his exes came back into his life and he was with her constantly?

"Betty? Hey, where were you?" Daniel asked, placing his hand on her shoulder as he leaned over her chair at her desk.

"Sorry, I'm just distracted right now. Justin kept everyone out really late last night because he was practicing for his audition next fall in the senior play at Julliard," she excused. "If I have to hear 'Seasons of Love' one more time, I think I'm going to scream."

Daniel chuckled.

"I can't believe he'll be graduating from Julliard next year. I'm really proud of him," he marveled.

"We all are," she smiled, touched that Daniel still cared about her family. "So what were you saying?"

"I was thinking how about the Chinese Laundry stiletto knockoffs here, next to the Manolo originals . . ." Daniel suggested, rearranging the layout on the last page they had to edit.

"And the rest of the article over here?" she assumed, moving it into the empty space. "There!"

"Yeah, that looks good," Daniel agreed. "I guess we're done. We can send it to the printer."

"' _I guess we're done'?_ Daniel, we just finished our first issue! Why aren't you more excited?!" she questioned, lightly smacking his arm.

"I don't know, I'm just distracted by something Maggie said this morning," he admitted. "Don't worry about it – I'm excited!"

"We did it! We finished our first issue!" Betty jumped up and clapped her hands, giving him one of her signature hugs that practically knocked him over. They stayed that way for longer than they probably should have.

"Oh, sorry. Old habit," she apologized, blushing. "And it's probably not allowed in the 'rulebook' either."

"It's okay, Betty. It was nothing more than a friendly co-worker hug. It kinda felt like old times, back when . . ." Daniel trailed off.

"Back when things weren't so weird between us? Yeah, it did," she agreed. "So what's bugging you about Maggie?"

"We got into a fight . . . about you. She claimed I was hiding you from her because I'm ashamed of her or something," Daniel explained.

"Are you?" Betty asked.

"Of course not!" Daniel insisted.

"So why haven't I met her, then? Does she have green and purple tentacles coming out of her head?" Betty teased, playfully poking him in the stomach.

"No!" he chuckled.

"That's it, isn't it? The first time you met her she held up a sign that said 'Take me to your leader', right?" she continued to goad him.

"Stop," he laughed hysterically.

"Then why haven't you?" she questioned, seriously.

Daniel quieted, and looked down at the floor before nervously looking back at her.

"I . . . I didn't want to hurt you," he confessed. "At first, I did – a big part of me wanted to rub our relationship in your face. But working with you these past couple of months reminded me of why we were friends in the first place. I-I realized I couldn't do that to you."

"Thank you, Daniel. That means a lot. But you don't have to walk around on eggshells for me. I'm not going to fall to pieces the second I meet your girlfriend. You've moved on. I screwed up and you screwed up and we were over before we even started. But it's been six years . . . maybe it's time for me to move on, too," she tried to reason, despite how much it hurt to say those words.

"Are you sure you're okay with meeting her?" Daniel questioned, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," she nodded, half-heartedly.

Daniel looked at her, doubting her sincerity.

"Yes, I'm fine," Betty assured him.

"Good. I'll see if she wants to come to the launch party on Thursday," he replied.

"Great," she forced a smile.

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"I don't know, Hilda . . . Are you sure about the red one? I don't want to look desperate. What about the blue one?" Betty held up the two dresses in the full-length mirror of Hilda and Bobby's closet.

"Betty, you're not joinin' a freakin' convent. You need to look _hot!_ " Hilda told her. "Show Daniel what he's been missin' out on. Besides, Bobby's cousin Nick is super sexy. Maybe you two will hit it off? Then you can tell that rich bastard to go screw himself, because _you_ have found yahself a _real man!_ "

"Hilda, I'm not looking to get back at Daniel. I just need to move on the best I can," Betty explained.

"Mamita, you convinced me to play nice at dinner a few weeks ago 'cuz he'd just lost his friend and it was the right thing to do. But as far as I'm concerned, you shoulda given that man the middle finga the second he walked back into your life. He doesn't deserve to be in the same vicinity as you!" Hilda insisted. "Not after what he did to you."

"I hurt him first. But we're finally past all that. We're almost friends again – close friends that tell each other everything, like we used to. I'm just trying to get that back – to having him in my life again," Betty told her. "Not that that will ever happen if Maggie has her way."

"Is Maggie that possessive bitch of a girlfriend?" Hilda assumed.

"I wouldn't call her that . . ." Betty attempted to be polite.

Hilda gave her a look.

"Okay she's a possessive bitch. But maybe we're judging her unfairly. All she wants is a man she can trust, right? And Daniel . . ." Betty trailed off.

"Daniel isn't that guy – not for her anyway. From what you're tellin' me, I think he's still got it bad for _you_. Oh, baby sista. I just don't want to see your heart get broken again. And the closah you get to Daniel, the more I think it's gonna happen," Hilda worried.

"It won't. Daniel's moved on," Betty assured her. "I mean, he almost kissed me after Becks' funeral and we fell asleep together on my couch after, but he was really vulnerable so it doesn't even count. He's completely committed to Maggie."

" _He almost kissed you?! You fell asleep together on your couch! Ay!_ That's exactly what I'm sayin', Chica - stay away from the fire! 'Cuz if you get any closah, you're gonna get burned," Hilda advised.

"I'm fine. I'm trying to move on, too," Betty insisted. "I just miss my best friend, that's all."

"Okay . . ." Hilda said, unconvinced. "I'm gonna go check on Rosie – she's way too quiet in there . . . Rosie!"

"K," Betty sighed, and looked at the red dress again.

Hilda's phone rang.

"Hey, babe! Yeah, Betty and I were just picking out a dress for her to wear tonight. What?! What the hell happened? Doesn't he have the balls to tell her himself?! Oh . . . Yeah, you're right. He should be there for his grandmother. No. No it's fine. I'll tell her . . . Yeah . . . Love you, too. Bye," Hilda hung up. "That was Bobby. He said Nick's grandma is in the hospital after having a heart attack. So he won't be able to make it."

"That's terrible . . . So I guess I'm on my own tonight," Betty sighed.

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"Betty! Hey, you made it!" Daniel greeted her. "This is Maggie, Maggie Kim."

"Hi! It's so nice to finally meet you! Daniel's told me so much about you," the perky, dark-haired woman with glasses and an hourglass figure held out her hand.

"Hopefully all good things," Betty joked, shaking her hand. There was something familiar about this woman. She couldn't quite figure out what, though.

"The magazine looks amazing! Oh, and I'm a big fan of your magazine in London, too! Britain Vibe was so inspiring to me!" Maggie told Betty. "I'm in advertising, by the way. I design the layouts for print ads in magazines."

"Oh, wow!" Betty replied, caught off-guard by her pleasant attitude. "Thank you!"

"I'll let you girls talk," Daniel said, going off to mingle for a few minutes.

"I have to admit, that I was a little intimidated by you at first. You've accomplished so much in so little time. Daniel talks about you constantly. When he finally told me what happened with you two, it all made sense," Maggie confessed, then her attitude changed as she made sure Daniel was out of earshot, all the while maintaining the same sickeningly sweet tone. "I'm onto you, bitch! You had your chance with Daniel and you blew it. He's mine, now! I've landed so many new accounts by merely mentioning his name. Do you honestly think I'd be as stupid as you were to give that up?"

"Is that why you're with him? Because his name can get you farther in the business world?!" Betty asked, shocked and appalled.

"Of course not – he's insanely good in bed, too. Don't you agree? Oh, that's right, you don't even know what it's like to be with him. Too, bad," Maggie smirked.

"Wow . . . um, one minute you're accusing me of stealing Daniel away from you and the next you're bragging because you think I've never slept with him? Make up your mind," Betty demanded.

"Well, you haven't, have you? It's probably why you're dying to get him back," Maggie retorted.

"Having sex with Daniel is the furthest thing from my mind. And whether or not I've ever slept with him in the past is between me and Daniel. All you need to know is that I care about him. We're friends," Betty maintained.

"You know, Daniel says you're just friends, too, but I can't see how that's possible without something happening eventually – not with your history together. You're not even seeing anyone right now. What's to say you won't jump him in his office or corner him in the copy room? I know Daniel has a past with women. He's obviously not very bright when it comes to judging who to stay away from."

"Obviously . . ." Betty scoffed. "Not that it's any of your damn business, but no, I'm not seeing anyone. However, I can assure you that there's nothing going on with Daniel and me. I respect your relationship with him, because I respect myself and I want Daniel to be happy. Daniel and I are friends and co-workers – nothing more," Betty promised.

"I'm sorry, Betty, but I just don't believe you. Daniel and I are moving in together next weekend. And you'd better keep your slutty self away from him," Maggie threatened.

"Charming," Betty rolled her eyes. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Maggie. But go ahead and keep Daniel on that tight little leash of yours. It's the only way in hell you'd _ever_ hold onto a man as special as he is."

Maggie started to say something when Daniel came up to them.

"Betty, I think Mom's calling us up there," he put his hand on her shoulder. "We'll be back."

Except they weren't. Everyone wanted their attention and to know more about their new magazine, and their lives since leaving MODE. Betty should have felt really guilty for monopolizing all of Daniel's time. But honestly it wasn't her fault. And honestly she didn't give a shit, anymore. Maggie had definitely shown her true colors, and they were ugly.

Finally, the questions died down and the music got louder. People started dancing, including Daniel and Maggie. Betty sat and watched them from her table. He seemed happy. She tried to put on a smile, but inside she wanted to cry. It was over. He really had moved on with someone else – someone else who didn't deserve him . . . Who didn't value the wonderful man he truly was. They'd never get their chance . . .

"Hey . . . So, can I throw you around the floor for a while?" Daniel asked.

Betty's mind flashed back to Hilda's wedding when he'd asked her the same thing. That night was incredible. She'd never forget how much fun they'd had . . .

"What about Maggie?" Betty wondered.

"She had to leave. She's got a big presentation tomorrow morning for one of her clients," he explained.

Betty pondered his offer for a little longer, questioning if she should or not. It was only dancing, though. It wasn't like he was asking her to run away with him.

"Okay," she agreed and took his hand.

The previous song ended and Adele's 'Water Under the Bridge' began playing. They awkwardly danced to the music, unsure of how to act under the circumstances. As the song ended and a slower one came on, they ended up in a polite stance, their arms and hands in the traditional position for slow-dancing. They stayed that way for a few songs, stealing glances at each other from time to time, and unknowingly moving closer and closer to each other. As she listened carefully to the lyrics of the songs that played, Betty recognized themselves in some of them.

"So, Maggie seems interesting," Betty broke the awkward silence.

"Yeah, she is," Daniel agreed. "She's smart, passionate about her work and the people she cares about, has a bright, cheery personality . . ."

"You seem happy together," Betty observed.

"Happy. Yeah . . ." Daniel repeated, half-heartedly.

"Aren't you?" Betty asked, surprised at his mood. "I mean, except for the whole thing with us."

"I'm trying to be," he confessed.

"Oh," she said, surprised.

"I guess nothing's as good as the original," Daniel stated, heatedly staring into her eyes. "You set the bar pretty high, Betty."

The song changed to David Cook's cover of 'Wicked Game'.

"Daniel, what are you saying?" she questioned, trying not to read into his remark something that wasn't there.

"I don't know, Betty. I-It took me so long to get over you, and now you're here. You're back in my life, back to being who you always were to me – my strength, my cheerleader, my best friend. I can say anything – _be_ anything with you. And now I'm holding you in my arms and it feels . . . like home. Like we're right where we're meant to be," he admitted.

"What about Maggie?" she reminded him.

"I love her . . . to be honest, I was close to asking her to marry me before you showed up," Daniel revealed.

"And now?" Betty asked.

"Now, I don't know," he sighed. "She's great . . . she's almost everything I could want, but something's missing. I-I don't feel with her the way I feel with I'm with you . . . And lately, with this new arrangement, I feel trapped more than anything else."

"Daniel . . ." she began.

"I go to sleep at night and all I manage to dream about is you, Betty," he confessed.

"D-Daniel, if I said or did something to -" Betty began.

"No, Betty, it's not you. I mean it is – but it's my fault," Daniel insisted. "I don't want to love you, but I can't stop."

"Maybe this isn't a good idea . . . maybe I should go . . . mingle or something," she told him.

"No. Stay," he pleaded. "I'm sorry . . . I shouldn't have put this on you."

"It's fine, Daniel. Really. But I think it'd be best if I go -" she said.

Daniel stopped her from leaving by placing his lips on hers and everything felt like it did six years ago. The magic, the chemistry, it was as if nothing had torn them apart. But she wasn't about to be the one who broke up a relationship.

"No," Betty moaned, reluctantly, and pushed him away. "Daniel, stop. W-We can't. You have a girlfriend – a girlfriend who apparently is moving in with you. And despite all of the things I learned about her tonight, I can't come between you two – I won't!"

"Wait – what 'things', Betty?" Daniel asked.

"I can't tell you. I've already said too much," she pushed him away.

"Betty, I trust you more than anyone. And if you know something, tell me," he requested, pulling her back to him.

"If I tell you, it'll make it seem like I'm only doing it to cause a problem between you two. And that's not it at all," she explained, nervously toying with his Prada tie.

"Betty, just tell me. I promise I'll believe you," Daniel swore.

Betty took a deep breath and then began to speak.

"Maggie told me that she basically was only with you to further her career and for the sex," Betty revealed.

There was a long awkward pause while Daniel took the time to let it sink in.

"No. No, she was probably joking. She has this way of saying things where some people can't tell if she's serious or not. You're pretty literal, Betty. I'm sure you took her comments the wrong way," Daniel denied it.

"Daniel, she was serious," Betty assured him. "And I'm not that literal anymore. I've changed a lot since you first met me."

"Yeah, okay . . ." he replied skeptically.

"That doesn't sound like you believe me," she huffed.

"I . . . I don't know," he admitted. "I know you love me and you're trying to protect me. But maybe you're hearing things the way you want to hear them."

"Do you think I want to hear that your girlfriend isn't treating you the way you deserve?! Because I don't! I want you to be happy, Daniel – even if I'm not the one doing it. Because you're right, I _do_ love you!" Betty exclaimed, so frustrated she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything! I knew I should've just shut up and let her string you along!"

"Betty, I'm sorry. I need to think about it, okay. I need to talk to her," he told her, wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

"You realize if you ask her these things, she going automatically deny them, don't you?" she replied.

"How the hell else am I going to know the truth? I mean, I have my ex-almost girlfriend/best friend's word against my current girlfriend's," he sighed.

"This is exactly why I should have kept my freakin' mouth shut," Betty groaned.

"No, Betty, I'm glad you didn't. Thank you for caring about me," he told her. "Sometimes it seems like you're the only one who does."

"Daniel . . ." Betty softened.

"I'm sorry – about everything . . ." he apologized, caressing her cheek. "You look so beautiful tonight."

Betty gently pushed his hand away.

"How about we just keep dancing . . . unless you don't think you can – strictly dance, I mean?" she told him.

"I can if you can," he challenged, lacing his fingers through hers.

Betty smiled timidly.

"Yeah, I think I can," she agreed, looking up at him, his piercing blue eyes looking back. Why the hell did this have to be so hard?

Daniel pulled Betty close to him. She stiffened for a moment, fighting the urge to get lost in the comfort of his arms.

"Hey, we're good. Aren't we?" he asked, noticing her tenseness.

"Mmm-hmm," Betty nodded and tried to relax, but not too much. She couldn't get caught up in him again. Not when he belonged to someone else – even if that someone else didn't deserve him.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks so much for reading and/or reviewing! :) #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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"He kissed you?!" Hilda exclaimed. "Did you kiss back?"

"Yes . . . but -" Betty excused.

" _Unh-uh!_ But _nothing_ , Mamita! That man is someone else's man – what the hell were you thinking?!" Hilda slapped her arm.

" _Ow!_ " Betty exclaimed. "Will you let me finish?!"

"First, Maggie and I had a talk," Betty continued and showed her a pic of Maggie and Daniel on her phone.

"Wait – _that's_ Maggie?! How could you leave that part out all this time?" Hilda berated her.

"What part?" Betty asked, oblivious.

"Honey, she's the Korean version of you!" Hilda exclaimed.

" _What?!_ No she isn't! _Really?_ " Betty denied.

"Hair, body type, glasses you used to wear . . ." Hilda argued.

"Maybe a little . . ." Betty conceded.

"I'm tellin' you, Chica, if she has the same personality, she could be your twin," Hilda insisted.

"If by personality you mean selfish, manipulative bitch, then I'd say you're wrong," Betty remarked.

"Whoa, back it up! What happened? I used to have to pry those words out of your mouth 'cuz you were too afraid to say anything negative about her. What changed?" Hilda asked.

"If you had let me finish, I would have told you," Betty huffed and attempted to finish the rest of her story. "Maggie told me that she was using Daniel for sex and to gain accounts for her firm."

"Seriously?!" Hilda replied, skeptically. "She just offered you that info upfront?"

"After calling me a bitch and a slut, yeah," Betty confirmed.

"This is hilarious! Daniel Meade finally gets the payback he deserves!" Hilda laughed.

" _Hilda!_ This isn't funny, damn it! It's horrible!" Betty smacked her.

"What?! You can't tell me that it doesn't feel just a little satisfying," Hilda argued. "I mean Daniel's been really good to you, and I know you still love him, but he also broke your heart. It's nice to see someone will finally break his."

"I already broke it, Hilda. We broke each other's. He was trying to move on. He was going to marry her," Betty defended him.

"Wow . . . I take it back," Hilda stood down. "So he kissed you after you told him – you _did_ tell him?"

"I told him, but he kissed me before I did. I kissed back for a moment because I knew. But I pulled away because I wasn't about to get in the middle of it. Daniel needed to work everything out with Maggie without me," Betty explained.

"Good. I think you need to stay far away from him while he deals with this shit. And if he _does_ decide to leave her, make sure he actually does it before you do anything with him. You already got caught up in a triangle with Henry and Charlie, and all you ended up with was pain," Hilda advised.

"I know," Betty agreed.

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"I, uh, I talked to Maggie," Daniel said as he noticed Betty coming into his office the next morning.

"About?" Betty questioned.

"This," he held up Page 6 of one of the tabloids, which featured a large photo of the two of them kissing at the launch party with the caption 'Mag Mogul Make-out'.

" _Oh my god!_ How could they do this?! I wanted press for our magazine, but not _this!_ " Betty exclaimed, shocked and angered.

"Yeah, guess we should've thought about that before we kissed," he half-heartedly joked.

" _You_ kissed _me!_ " Betty corrected him.

"I didn't see you fighting me off," he flirtingly argued.

" _Daniel . . ._ " she playfully warned.

"Maggie and I aren't moving in together – obviously," he calmly announced. "We decided that things aren't working out between us."

"Daniel, if you're doing this because of me, or that dumbass tabloid, then you shouldn't have. I told you that I didn't want to be the reason for your relationship falling apart," she said. "I only told you those things about Maggie because I was worried about you. And the kiss was just a kiss."

"It wasn't just a kiss – it was more than that . . . But I didn't end things with Maggie because of you, Betty - I did it for me. You made me see that I deserve to be with someone who loves me more than anything in the world . . . someone who would do anything for me. And Maggie . . . she isn't that person. I can't keep lying to her and lying to myself that we can make it work," Daniel explained. "She was only using me, anyway. She even admitted it herself."

"Oh, Daniel," Betty replied. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," he said, awkwardly clearing his throat. "You know that whole quit working by 7:00pm thing? It was so we could do what _she_ wanted to do – watch _her_ movies, eat at _her_ restaurants, hang out with _her_ friends. She didn't see me as a person, not really."

"Daniel . . ." she said, her heart breaking for him.

"So. Ready to start on the next issue?" he asked.

"A-Are you sure you don't want to talk about this more?" Betty asked.

"What's there to talk about? I broke up with my girlfriend. End of discussion," he dismissed her concern.

"Oookay . . ." she commented, deciding to stay out of it.

"What do you want me to say, Betty? That you were right about Maggie? That I love you just as much as I did six years ago – maybe even more? That I still want to be that guy for you?" he snapped.

"Daniel, I wasn't asking that – I'm not! I just want to help you through whatever you're feeling right now," she defended.

"You can't, Betty!" he claimed. "You're part of the problem! You're the reason I can't move on with my life!"

"And you're the reason why I can't move on with mine! But I'm not attacking you because of it! I was trying to be your friend!" she argued. "You know I can't tell what's going on with you. One minute, you're coming onto me and the next you're pushing me away - like I'm the one who's controlling what you're feeling. I tried so hard to stay out of this. I never wanted it to be this way."

Daniel was silent for a moment. He sat on the couch and tried to calm down.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lashed out at you. I'm just frustrated," he apologized.

"I guess you can't always choose the people you fall in love with," she observed.

"Yeah," he scoffed. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna need some time."

"Of course," she understood.

"Can we just be partners . . . friends?" he asked, quietly.

"Sure," she agreed.

"I don't think I can handle anything else right now," he sighed.

Betty nodded.

"So, I was thinking for our next cover we could try to get Melissa McCarthy?" she tried to change the subject.

"Seriously? You really think we could get her?" Daniel asked, incredulously.

"Yeah. Her publicist is a friend of a friend of the photographer we had on staff at Britain Vibe. I called him to see if it was even a possibility and he seemed to be on board with it if we were. It turns out she has an opening to do some publicity for the 'Ghostbusters' and 'Gilmore Girls' reboots so I told him we'd let him know," she explained. "So what do you think? Do we want her?"

" _Are you kidding me?_ Betty, of course we want her! _Damn . . ._ you've got some serious connections!" he grinned and raised his hand for a high-five.

Betty smiled back and hit it.

"You know what we could make the headline?" she giggled.

"What?" he asked, curiously.

"Double Booty – Melissa McCarthy Reboots Two Classics," she giggled.

Daniel chuckled.

"It's stupid . . . It was a joke," she told him.

"No . . . No, it has potential . . ." he pondered. "But are you sure that's the angle we want to take for the story? Don't we want to focus less on the superficial and more on real-life issues?"

"Plus Her Fave Fashion Go-Tos?" she thought aloud. "That helps women her size get suggestions on styles that might flatter their figures better? And maybe get her story on what made her get into acting, what her struggles have been, things like that?"

"Yeah . . . yeah that could work. I mean, we can work out the exact details, but that's something to go on. Hey, why don't you call her publicist back and set up a solid date? I'll go see if I can come up with a rough list of questions. We've got that meeting with the editors at 9:15am, and I thought maybe we could have lunch at noon and go over everything," he suggested.

"That's sounds good," Betty agreed.

"Okay, see you in twenty minutes?" he said, getting up.

"Okay," she smiled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Betty walked into her apartment that night feeling both relieved and sad. She felt bad that Daniel had been hurt. But she was glad that he was free from someone who didn't truly care about him. Now that they had both made it clear how they still felt about each other, maybe they could have their chance – when he was ready. She was willing to wait - she'd made it this long, after all. She went to sleep that night feeling somewhat hopeful.

The ringtone on her phone blasted her awake in the middle of the night. For the life of her she couldn't figure out who the hell was calling her. She groggily picked it up.

"What?" she responded, answering her FaceTime call.

"Did you have any idea how many shows you can stream? I can binge-watch practically any series I want!" he exclaimed, starting a normal conversation like it was the middle of the afternoon.

"Daniel?" Betty guessed, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Do you realize what time it is?" she asked, annoyed.

"It's 2:14am," he replied nonchalantly.

"Exactly. And in case you didn't realize, normal people are asleep right now," she informed him.

"You seem pissed," he said, surprised.

"Good observation," she replied. "Haven't we constituted the reasons for calling me in the middle of the night? What the hell is so important it couldn't wait 'til the morning?!"

"But it _is_ morning," he playfully argued.

" _Daniel!_ " Betty snapped.

"I'm sorry, Betty. I couldn't sleep and I started watching this show and then I didn't have anyone to talk to about it . . ." he trailed off.

"It's okay," she sighed and closed her eyes. "Would it help if I just stayed on with you?"

"Yeah, thanks," he answered. "You look so adorable right now . . . hair a mess, all cuddled up in your pjs . . . Reminds me of that picture Amanda took, except I'm witnessing the live thing."

"Stop it, you're making me self-conscious," she giggled.

"And you've got this cute little bit of drool in the corner of your mouth," he teased.

"Shut _up!_ Good night, Daniel," Betty playfully threatened as she wiped her mouth, embarrassed.

Daniel chuckled.

"I'll stop, okay. Just stay on. You can even go to sleep if you want," he told her.

"You're gonna watch me sleep? Isn't that a little creepy?" she questioned.

"Come on, Betty. It's me, not some scary-ass stalker," he excused. "And you can put down your Ipad, if you don't want me to see you. Knowing you're still here is enough."

Betty's heart melted at his words.

"Okay," she timidly smiled and propped up her Ipad with the case's stand. He was right – he wasn't just anyone. It was actually kind of sweet. She closed her eyes again feeling comforted by his presence as well. "Nite, Daniel."

"Nite, Betty," he smiled back and eventually drifted off himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, you doing anything today?" Daniel asked over the phone the next morning.

"I don't know, I was thinking of sleeping some more after last night," she teased.

"Sorry about that . . . I thought maybe we could do something, if you want?" he offered.

"Ok. But I thought you needed your space?" she asked, confused.

"I just meant space from jumping into another relationship. I'm too messed up to deal with love right now. It doesn't mean I couldn't use a friend, though," he explained.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?" Betty wondered.

"It's a nice day . . . wanna take a walk?" Daniel suggested.

"I'd love to. Where should I meet you?" she asked.

"I'll pick you up in twenty minutes," he told her.

"Great," she replied and got dressed.

They walked along the streets of the city, simply content with being together. For the longest time, neither one of them spoke. At one point, their hands accidentally brushed against each other and they both took the opportunity to hold on. They passed by a vendor selling blankets and decided to go to Central Park for a picnic.

"Shut _up!_ " Betty playfully shoved his chest.

"What?!" he asked.

"Daniel, you can't tell me you've never had fried chicken before!" Betty laughed at him.

"I didn't say that – I said I've never had _fast food_ fried chicken before. Our cook used to make it for Alex and me when our parents were having a dinner party. She'd serve it with her special mashed potato salad and homemade mac  & cheese – never out of the box. She'd serve it on plastic plates just like the fancy ones the grown-ups ate off of and garnished them. She'd even give us sparkling cider in plastic champagne flutes to make us feel like we were just as important," he mused.

"Awww . . . that's so sweet," Betty gushed.

"I always wondered what happened to her," he sighed.

"Well, the unprivileged kids had to make do with the cheap fast food kind. So I guess you're slumming it today," she teased.

Daniel chuckled.

"This chicken is really good actually," he admitted. "Not as crazy about the potato salad or mac n cheese, but I love the coleslaw and I don't think anyone can screw up corn on the cob."

"I'm glad you like it," she smiled and watched as some kids chased each other. "It feels good to be home again."

"You didn't like London?" he asked.

"No, I did. It was a fun place to be – new and exciting for a while. But it never felt like home," she explained.

Daniel nodded.

"I felt the same about Paris . . . It was great spending time with Alexis and DJ, but I missed New York," he confessed, putting all of their trash into the paper bucket.

They both noticed a group of kids running toward an ice cream vendor and simultaneously looked at each other.

"Race you," Daniel challenged, and they bolted for the line. Only Betty tripped halfway there and fell, bringing Daniel down with her.

"Sorry," she giggled.

"It's okay – there's a Pinkberry across the street," he smiled and got lost in her eyes.

"Um, Daniel, we should get up – those kids are staring at us," Betty reluctantly broke the trance.

"Right. So, why don't I go get us something from Pinkberry?" he suggested, helping her up.

"Okay," she agreed, absently swinging their hands.

"Be right back," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

That was new . . . like the hand-holding, not exactly their normal friend-like behavior, but she wasn't complaining.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, Daniel called her, moaning and groaning.

"Betty, I don't feel so good," he complained.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"My stomach hurts. I'm all queasy and it hurts," he whined. "Will you come over?"

Betty sighed and rolled her eyes. She'd told him not to eat so much frozen yogurt.

"Fine. I'm on my way," she told him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Here, drink this and take these. They'll settle your stomach," Betty instructed as she sat beside Daniel on his bed, handing him a glass of ginger ale and some antacids.

"Thanks, and thanks for not saying 'I told you so'," he told her.

"You're welcome. And I'm not _that_ mean – I was going to wait until you were feeling better," she smirked.

Daniel chuckled.

" _Ow._ Don't make me laugh," he groaned.

" _Aww . . . poor baby_ ," she mocked.

"Go away," he pouted.

"Come on, Daniel. You've gotta let me have a _little_ fun," she coaxed.

"Yeah, okay," he conceded.

"When I was little, my mom used to rub my tummy to make it feel better," Betty mused.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"A little. It was more emotionally comforting than physically," she replied. "Here, turn over."

She placed her hand on his firm stomach and gently massaged it for a while.

"Feel any better?" she asked.

"Definitely," he gave a sexy smile as he placed his hand on hers.

"I'd better go, it's getting late," she excused, blushing.

"You could, stay?" he requested.

Betty was surprised, but intrigued.

"I mean, I'd worry about you getting back to your apartment alone," he covered. "Especially when you're still in your pajamas."

"Right. Okay," she agreed, a little disappointed it was only for safety reasons. "Do you have any blankets?"

"Yeah, right here," he smiled.

"Daniel, is this a good idea?" Betty wondered, shocked at his invitation.

"It's fine. You trust me, don't you?" he asked.

"Of course I do," she assured him.

"Then c'mere," he told her.

She timidly smiled and slowly got back on the bed. He pulled her close to him and turned out the light.

It was amazing being in Daniel's arms like that. She felt safe and wanted. He didn't have to ask her to stay. And he certainly didn't have to invite her in his bed, much less hold her like he was. She felt his chest slowly rise up and down and listened to him breathe. As he drifted off to sleep he looked so peaceful and incredibly sexy. If things continued to go right between them, she could end up going to sleep like this every night. And that was something she could definitely live with.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Morning," Daniel smiled. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Mmmhmm," Betty answered nervously. She wanted to say it was the best sleep she'd had in a long time, but figured saying as little as possible was best until she was certain of their situation.

"I made us some waffles," he said, putting down a tray and climbing in bed beside her.

"You cook, now?" she questioned.

"If you call figuring out how to use the toaster _cooking_ then yeah," he joked.

"Oh," she smiled. Same old Daniel.

She put some syrup and butter on them and took a bite.

"You're an excellent cook," she teased.

"Thanks," he smiled and began to eat as well. "You doing anything today?"

"Lunch with my family," she answered.

"Oh . . . never mind," he said, disappointed.

"No, tell me," she insisted.

"Well, I thought maybe you'd wanna go see that new movie you've been talking about, but we can do it another time," he replied.

"Why don't you come with me and we can all go afterward? Everyone else has been wanting to see it, too," she suggested.

"Are you sure I wouldn't be in the way? I wouldn't want to ruin time with your family," he asked.

"Positive. You're always welcome, Daniel," she assured him.

"Thanks," he smiled. "I'd love to go."

"Great," she smiled back.

"You've got a little syrup . . . right there," he pointed to her mouth.

"Here?" she asked.

"No . . . right . . . there," he said, leaning over to get it for her with his lips. It startled her so much that she accidentally knocked the syrup bottle over and ruined the moment.

"Oh! Sorry! _Damn it!_ I don't know how it happened. _Oh, no!_ I got it all over your comforter. I'll buy you a new one!" she apologized, trying to clean it up with the napkins they had.

"Betty, it's okay," Daniel calmed her down. "It's not a big deal."

"Thanks. I promise I'll fix it," she swore.

"Betty, I mean it. Don't worry about it," he reassured her.

"Okay," she sighed, still feeling guilty.

"So is your dad cooking or were you going out to eat?" Daniel asked.

"We're going to this new Japanese restaurant in Queens. My dad's friend owns it," Betty answered.

"Cool," he replied.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next couple of weeks held more of the same . . . hands held, kisses on the cheek, dinners during the week, plans on the weekend, and sometimes unplanned sleepovers or calls in the middle of the night, similar to the night before. It was almost as if they were dating each other, only without the label or more of the benefits.

"Whoa, what happened to _you?!_ " Daniel cringed as Betty opened the door to her apartment with frazzled hair, puffy eyes, and a short ratty summer robe that was covering her teddy bear boxers and a hot pink cami.

"Oh, I don't know. Some guy who claims he's my friend, but now I'm slowly beginning to think is my enemy, decided it'd be fun to wake me up at 2am to _chat,_ again," she snarkily replied and started to slam the door in his face.

Daniel caught it and forced his way in.

"I was kidding. You look cute," he replied as he picked up a couple of grapes from her fruit bowl and plopped on the couch beside her. "Reminds me of when you stayed up all night that one time at MODE and had pencils and paperclips stuck in your hair."

"Nice cover," she smirked. "It's really winning me over."

Daniel chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against his side. She instinctively leaned her head on his shoulder.

"What are we doing?" she questioned after a moment.

"I thought we were relaxing on the couch. What did _you_ think we were doing?" he asked.

"The same thing, only I really meant overall not just now," she said. "We hold hands, you kiss me on the cheek, call me in the middle of the night . . . physically hold me all night sometimes."

"I like hearing your voice or having you next to me when I can't sleep. And the other stuff . . . I don't know. I just kinda go on instinct. Is that awkward for you?" he asked, appearing to be a little disappointed.

"No! No, I like whatever it is we're doing. I'm just a little confused. After our agreement not to talk or do anything about . . . _you know_ , I was surprised," she explained.

"Yeah, about that . . . Maybe I didn't need as much time as I thought to get over everything," he confessed.

"Are you saying you're ready to talk about it?" she asked.

"I'm saying I think we should just let things happen naturally – like we've been doing. We both know how we feel, right?" Daniel replied. "We don't need to talk about it, necessarily."

"Right," Betty agreed. "Except, I was wondering one thing – and don't get mad at me for asking this. You said you couldn't live without me and then you went and left me for six years without even talking to me. So obviously you did."

Daniel sighed.

"You're right, I did. I didn't want to, and it hurt like hell, but at that time I felt if I was going to try to get over you I had to do it like ripping off a Bandaid. No physical contact, no phone calls, no nothing," he explained.

"What about subscribing to my magazine?" she countered.

"That was more like my nicotine patch. Didn't help much," he answered. "What did you do?"

"To get over you? Well, you pretty much know all of it. Nothing worked of course, but I cried for days and literally gained twenty pounds when I realized you weren't coming back. I tried dating other men, but nothing went past the first date. And like I said, most of them were for mutual publicity gain anyway. Eventually, I just buried myself in my work," she said.

"Where did you go when you left? Nobody knew where you were," Betty wondered.

"To my family's summer house in Capri," he answered quietly. "It's beautiful there . . . really peaceful . . . you'd love it."

Betty gave him a bittersweet smile and leaned back against him, her head resting on his shoulder again.

"I was going to propose to you there," he quietly confessed.

She immediately looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"You really did have a plan for us," she said, surprised he had thought everything through. He usually was so impulsive.

"Don't act so shocked," he defended himself. "I told you it wasn't something I took lightly. It was us. And I quit my job and moved to another country for you. Does that sound like something I'd do without thinking about it?"

Betty playfully contemplated his question.

"Hey, you're not supposed to take that long! You're supposed to say 'no' and believe me!" he poked her stomach and began tickling her.

" _Eeeeeekk!_ Daniel, stop it! Okay! I believe you!" she surrendered.

"Good," he said, his eyes flirting with her as he pulled her up.

Betty quieted for a minute and really looked at him. She couldn't believe everything they'd been through to get to this point – whatever it was.

"I'm sorry, Daniel," she apologized. "If I wasn't so logical about everything, we could've been married with four kids by now."

"Four kids, huh?" he asked, intrigued.

"Sorry. I-I said too much," she said, her face red. "I wish there was a censor in my brain that would stop me from talking."

"No. No, that sounds perfect, Betty. Don't ever feel like you can't say what's on your mind to me. It never stopped you in the past, so don't let it stop you now," he teased.

"Daniel . . ." Betty looked at him coyly.

"What?" he asked, innocently.

"Nothing," she smiled and snuggled into him.

Daniel absently weaved his fingers in and out of hers. She could stay like that for forever.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you so much for reading and/or reviewing! :) #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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Another month had passed by and Betty and Daniel were continuing to grow closer every day. Kisses on the cheek extended to anywhere they felt like at the moment. Touching was also free reign, although they hadn't crossed the ultimate intimacy line yet. Sleepovers became habit rather than accidents, which led them to deciding to move in with each other – into a 5-bedroom 5,000 sqft. penthouse mansion in Upper East Manhattan complete with a basketball court.

Betty knew it was fast, and even though they hadn't officially put a label on themselves, she and Daniel had already voiced what they wanted for their future. They claimed moving in together at a new place so quickly was merely for convenience. The market was really great and they had gotten a good deal on the property and didn't have to wait to move in. If they had taken their time, they might not have found something as good at that price.

However, this home was also a gigantic unspoken step toward their future. Betty didn't want to push Daniel any further than he felt comfortable going. And if not labeling their relationship and not admitting what moving in together meant, then she'd go along with it for a little longer. Normally, this would be a warning sign to get out. But Betty knew Daniel too well for that. He wanted what she did. He just didn't want to screw anything up for fear of losing her again. That was the last thing she wanted, as well.

She stared out the window that night at the beautiful lights of the city as Shawn Mendes' 'Ruin' played in the background. It was one of the songs that had played the night of the launch party while she and Daniel had danced.

"Hey, baby? Have you seen the scissors? I found one more box hiding in the kitchen," Daniel asked walking over to her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "You okay?"

"Yeah . . . just really listening to the words of this song again," Betty answered, turning to face him.

"I thought I recognized it," he said, paying attention to it. "You wanna dance?"

"Sure," she gave a bittersweet smile.

As they held each other close she realized Daniel had been right. When his arms were around her, it truly did feel like home. They had gone through so much pain, maybe now they could finally breathe.

"I love this view . . . the lights of the city are so beautiful. And looking at the stars above shining bright . . . It gives you hope, you know? Like anything's possible here," she mused.

Daniel grinned, seeing her content with the simplest things.

"What?" Betty asked as the song ended and John Legend's 'All of Me' began.

"Nothing . . . just . . . I love you," he continued to grin.

She looked down and then back up at him. It was the first time in a long time that he'd said those words and not been upset that it was true.

"I love you, too," she smiled timidly and held him tight. They stayed like that for a long time before breaking.

"I just remembered that I forgot to do something," he said.

"What?" she asked.

"You'll see," he cryptically remarked and picked her up.

"Daniel, what are you doing?" Betty giggled.

"I forgot to carry you over the threshold," he answered opening the door.

"Daniel, that's for newlyweds who move into their first home," she told him, touched that he wanted to be romantic.

"So? _We_ just moved into our first home," he argued as they went outside.

"I guess you're right," she agreed.

"Okay, now it's official. So, what do you think?" Daniel asked after he carried her back into their apartment.

"It looks amazing now that the furniture's been arranged and there aren't boxes everywhere . . . It's perfect," she answered and gave him a sweet kiss.

"You _have_ to see the bedroom now that there's actually room to walk in it!" he carried her up the curved staircase to the master suite and playfully threw her on the bed.

"Daniel!" she playfully protested.

"What?!" he innocently asked and jumped on the bed with her, which caused it to collapse.

"Whoa! _What the hell?!_ " he yelled.

" _Eeek!_ _Oww . . ._ Damn it, that hurts!" Betty exclaimed. "Daniel, I thought you had the movers put it together before they left?"

"It was only a bed, I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal," Daniel shrugged.

"Did you bother to read the instructions or look it up on YouTube?" Betty judgingly asked, rubbing her hip in pain.

" _No . . ._ It's a bed, not a rocket ship. Headboard, footboard, those thingys on either side . . ." he excused.

Betty rolled her eyes.

"Well, Bob the Builder, you obviously missed _something_ or we wouldn't be on the floor and I wouldn't have a sore spot on my hip that will no doubt turn into a bruise the size of Columbus tomorrow," she snarkily countered.

Daniel appeared as though he was about to correct her on the Ohio city.

"And 1, if you think I'm wrong about Columbus, I'm not. It's a common misconception based on pro-sports teams. And 2, if you still try to argue with me, I'm friends with Bow Wow and he's not so 'Lil anymore. Not to mention, he's kissed me," she stopped him.

"Jesus, Betty! Do you have to get so pissed about a freakin' bed? I honestly thought I had it put together right," he huffed and rolled his eyes. "And when the hell did Bow Wow kiss you?!"

"I'm sorry, babe. It hurts like hell and I'm taking it out on you," she apologized. "I was exaggerating about Bow Wow – we flirted a little in the elevator at MODE and he kissed my cheek. It was when we did that fashion show for real women."

"Oh," he sighed, relieved.

"I know you tried in your own sweet, stubborn way," she placed her hand on his chest. "I'll find the manual. Maybe we can fix it together so we don't have to sleep on the couch."

She attempted to get up and winced in pain.

"Baby, are you sure you don't need some ice?" Daniel softened.

"I'll be fine. This is just more motivation to get into a comfortable bed," she brushed it off.

"Here, let me be the judge of that," he insisted.

Betty pulled down the side of her yoga pants so he could see.

"Wow! You definitely need some ice. That's gonna leave a mark," he confirmed. "Does it hurt when I touch it?"

Betty grimaced.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' . . ." he assumed. "I'll be back."

A few minutes later, he had an ice pack wrapped in a kitchen towel.

"Better?" he asked after a few minutes.

Betty nodded.

"How about now?" Daniel asked, taking away the ice and gently kissing her wound.

"Much," she smiled at him and brought his lips to hers. "Ooh. Your lips are cold now . . ."

"I'm sure you can find a way to warm them up . . ." he flirted and proceeded to tease her lips with his own. "I'll call someone from Macy's tomorrow . . . Meantime, I can move the rest of the pieces against the wall and we can sleep on the mattress."

"Good idea," Betty agreed and drew his lips back to hers again.

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"Hey," Daniel greeted after awakening her with gentle kisses on her cheeks and eyelids.

"Hey," Betty slowly opened her eyes to Daniel's gorgeous blue ones.

"I love this . . . I mean, people do it every day – I've done it before . . . but it's different with you . . . a million times better," he confessed.

"For me, too," she agreed.

"And wow! Best. Sleep. _Ever!_ " Daniel exclaimed.

"Because I stopped having those nightmares about my bunny being decapitated and kicking you in the middle of the night while I was fighting the assassin?" she teased.

"That, too. But I was talking about the mattress," he explained.

"I told you we picked the right one - one we can adjust separately," Betty replied, nuzzling his cheek. It felt a little rough, like sandpaper, but she didn't care. She liked the fact that waking up next to Daniel had become part of her daily routine.

"We must have tested every single one in the store for one that we could both agree on. That sales guy probably thought we were crazy!" he chuckled.

"I know he did when you started jumping up and down on them. What are you five?" she teased.

"Says the woman who still worships her ratty old pink bunny," he countered. "And besides, you were doing it, too!"

"Only because you made me!" she excused. "And my bunny and I have been through a lot together."

"You had fun. Admit it," he grinned, playfully pinning her down.

"Okay, I did," Betty, reluctantly caved.

"See," he smirked and captured her lips.

She pulled him into her, grasping the hair at the nape of his neck. He moved his lips down her neck and over her shoulder, then down to her belly. As he lifted up her t-shirt he heard it growl.

"I think your stomach is trying to tell me something," Daniel joked.

"Oh my god, that's embarrassing!" Betty giggled.

He chuckled.

"I think it's adorable. My girlfriend has a talking tummy," he grinned and kissed it.

Betty froze for a moment.

"That's the first time you've called me that," she said, pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah, well, I thought it was kinda obvious. We're together all the time, we bought a home. I guess I just didn't want to say it out loud . . . It's stupid, but I thought maybe I'd wake up from the dream . . ." he revealed.

Her heart melted.

"I have to pinch myself sometimes, too. But babe, this is real . . . and it's better than I ever imagined," she assured him.

"Me, too," he smiled, and reached inside the nightstand drawer. "I wanted to give you this. I know you like cute things . . . I thought it might go with our new home."

"Aww . . . a butterfly key chain to put my house keys on . . ." Betty gushed and gave him one of her signature hugs. "Thank you!"

"There's, uh, there's something else on there," he nervously prompted her to look.

Betty picked up the keychain again and noticed there was a ring – a 5 carat princess cut diamond ring with smaller diamond chips encircling it and a smaller diamond on both sides of the main stone. The platinum band had sideways diamond v-shapes on both sides of the smaller stones.

"I-Is this what I think it is?" she stuttered.

Daniel nodded.

"So . . . will you?" he asked.

"Will I what? You have to say it Daniel," she coaxed.

"Will you make me the happiest man alive?" he tried again.

"By doing what?" she prompted.

Daniel sighed in frustration.

"Betty, this is ridiculous. You're kinda ruining the moment here," he huffed.

"Sorry . . ." she apologized. "I know what you're asking me, but saying the actual words won't break the spell."

"No, I'm sorry. You deserve better than this shitty proposal. I don't blame you for saying 'no'," he apologized.

"I didn't say 'no', Daniel," she corrected him. "I just haven't said 'yes' yet . . . Maybe we need to wait until you feel more confident of our relationship."

"Wait, are you mad at me?" he asked, confused.

"No, Daniel. I'm disappointed," she told him. "When you called me your girlfriend and gave me the ring, I thought we were making progress. We agreed that this was real and that labels wouldn't hurt anything. But then you couldn't say 'wife' or 'marry' when you asked me. And under normal circumstances I wouldn't care, because I'd know. But I don't."

"Betty, you know how I feel about you. And I _do_ believe in you - I believe in _us_. It's fate that I'm not so trusting of," he insisted.

"Daniel . . ." Betty attempted to interject.

"Here, just try the ring on – you don't have to make a decision yet," he told her and slid the ring on her finger.

She couldn't stop staring at it. It was gorgeous. More intricate and unique than the ones he'd chosen for Sofia Reyes all those years ago. Not that they weren't nice, too. But this ring was more her style and knowing Daniel specifically chose it for her made it special – even if she wasn't sure whether she would continue to wear it.

"I can leave if you two wanna be alone," Daniel joked after a few minutes of watching her.

"Very funny," she rolled her eyes and lightly smacked him on the arm. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it . . . I wasn't sure if you would or not," he replied. "But it was beautiful and one of kind – like you."

Betty blushed and shyly looked down at the comforter before gazing up at him again.

"Daniel, you've always had amazing taste in jewelry," she told him.

"Yeah, well, it's just that I've had it for six years, so . . ." he trailed off.

"You-You've had this for six years?" she said, incredulously.

"It's been in my wallet since I decided to go to London . . . I, uh, I just couldn't seem to let it go . . ." he confessed.

" _Oh my god_. . . Daniel . . . that's so sweet. I can't believe you did that," she felt the tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry . . . I didn't realize . . . You don't have to say anything else."

Daniel gently dried her tears.

"No, you were right, I do. Betty, I want this more than words can say. I want this house . . . I want our careers together . . . I want the four kids we talked about . . . I want to be with you and only you for the rest of our lives," he confessed, taking her hand in his. "That's what this ring symbolizes – a promise. It's a promise to give you that life and a promise to make it official. I love you more than anything in this world and . . . I want you to be . . . my wife."

"Thank you. I know that was really hard for you," she caressed his cheek and tenderly captured his lips.

"Nothing bad happened . . . yet, anyway . . ." Daniel joked.

"Baby, you can't keep doing this to yourself. We're going to be fine – more than fine," she assured him. "Just because it didn't work out six years ago doesn't mean it won't in the future. Look how far we've come – we started a magazine, we stopped being mad at each other . . . at ourselves. We're getting married, we moved into our dream home -"

"Wait – you said we're getting married . . . So is that a 'yes'?" he wondered, his blue eyes hopefully looking into hers.

Betty gave him an endearing look. He was so adorable when he was confused and vulnerable.

"Yes. _Yes!_ _Of course it's 'yes', silly!_ " Betty exclaimed.

Daniel grinned and hugged her fiercely. She'd never seen him so happy before. She herself had never been so happy. He attacked her with kisses, causing her to giggle like crazy, and she knew in her heart it was the right time for both of them.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks for reading! #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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"I was thinking we could grab lunch and then maybe go buy your dad a new grill?" he suggested after an hour or so of content silence on the mattress the next morning.

"Are you _that_ afraid Papi will kill you when he finds out you're marrying his daughter?" Betty asked, amused.

"No . . ." Daniel denied.

Betty gave him a look.

"Ok, maybe . . ." he confessed.

"Babe, you know Papi loves you," Betty assured him.

"That was before. I was just the guy you were seeing - the guy who used to be your lame-ass friend/boss. I asked him for advice all the time and threw up in every room in his house – embarrassing, but forgivable. Only then I go and abandon his daughter in a foreign country for six years because of my freakin' pride. He seems to be okay with everything. But now I'm his future son-in-law – he's stuck with me," he argued.

"So am I, but I think we can both power through it," she patted his cheek.

"Hilarious," he scoffed. "I'm thinking the grill might soften the blow."

"Daniel, you don't have to do that. There's no blow to soften. Papi knows what happened – he knows it was my fault, too. And it wasn't your job to protect me. It was _my_ choice to move there and I did it alone. Sure, I asked you to stay as my friend, but it wasn't your responsibility to be there for me," Betty reassured him.

"Betty, if I had been any kind of friend at all, I should have stayed . . . I should have sucked it up and given you the support that you had given me for all those years when I didn't even deserve it. _You_ did," he insisted.

"Daniel, we've talked about this. I had no right to ask you that after turning you down. You shouldn't have led me to believe you would and then cut me off like that. But you had every reason to leave," she told him. "Will you please stop worrying about Papi?"

"Fine. But I'm still getting him that grill," he maintained.

"He _does_ need a new one . . . But he's so stubborn I don't think he'll ever give up the one he has – even though it's impossible to fix," Betty told him.

"Which is why _I'm_ going to be the one to give it to him and not you. He can't refuse a gift or complain about it if it's from _me_ , right?" he reasoned.

"True," she contemplated. "Okay, but it has to be a charcoal one. I don't trust Papi not to blow himself up with a gas one. He's an amazing cook, but gas grills scare me."

"Deal," Daniel agreed. "So I guess we'd better get ready. It's almost noon."

" _Awww . . ._ Do we have to? It's so comfy here," she pouted, snuggling even closer to her fiancé and running her hand along his bare chest.

"I know. I don't wanna move either," he gently kissed her temple. "You know what? We don't have to. We can order pizza."

"And pasta – ooh and those garlic knots!" Betty perked up.

"And I was thinking I'd better get in all the kissing I can before those garlic knots arrive," he flirted.

"Daniel . . ." she half-heartedly protested.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Shut up," Betty told him.

He grinned and slowly teased her bottom lip, then her top, before deepening the kiss. It was better than before. There was no doubt of being together, no reason to stop; it was only the two of them. Their future together was just beginning and it felt right this time. They got so caught up in each other that they forgot they hadn't ordered the food yet.

"Mmm . . . babe . . . did you order the food or did I?" Betty asked between kisses.

"I thought _you_ did, baby," he mumbled as his lips traveled down her neck.

"Uh-oh . . ." she said, pushing him off and climbing over him in order to reach for her phone on the nightstand.

"Betty, is it really that important?" Daniel whined.

"Daniel, as much as I enjoy doing _this_ with you," she teased his bottom lip. "I'm starving."

She found the number and called in their order. Daniel groaned. After she hung up, he grabbed her from behind and pulled her on top of him, with her giggling the whole time.

"So this is how it's gonna be, huh? Food before sex?" he flirted, kissing her neck.

"Who said anything about sex?" she countered, turning over and straddling him.

"How else do you expect us to have four kids?" he teased.

"Do you want the truth?" she asked.

"I had the whole sex talk a long time ago, Betty. I know exactly how babies are made," he joked.

"Daniel, I'm serious," she scolded. "I'm scared. I never really thought about it before, but now that you brought it up it suddenly hit me . . . This is six years' worth of build-up. What if we're not compatible? What if I'm not as good as you're used to?"

"Baby, how could you ever think that? And the same could be said for me. What if it's not as good for you as it was in your head?" he countered.

"Daniel, you know that would never happen – you were New York's most eligible bachelor for years. You have a reputation for being unbelievably good in bed," she argued as she kissed his abs and moved her way up to his lips.

"I still don't think we'll have any problems. Life wouldn't be _that_ cruel," he joked, reciprocating her kiss with another as he rolled them both over.

"And if you're wrong?" she challenged.

"Then we'll live with just making-out and cuddling. And we can always adopt . . ." he joked.

"Are you listening to yourself? Daniel Meade not having sex for the rest of his life? You're adorable. Completely delusional, but incredibly adorable," she laughed.

"I'm serious, Betty," he assured her. "Nothing is going to stop me from being with you – not after all we've been through. And besides, it's not like I haven't lived without sex before."

Betty gave him her incredulous, all-judging butterfly look.

"Hey, it's true," he defended. "I'm a changed man."

"You mean after Molly?" she assumed.

"Well, yeah. But before you and after you, too," he revealed.

"So Trista?" she asked, always assuming Daniel had slept with her, since he usually slept with everyone he dated after at least the second date, if not the first.

"She made me dumb, but not _that_ dumb," he joked. "Maggie was my first, actually . . ."

"How long were you together?" she asked.

"Almost a year. Honestly, the only way I got through it sometimes was to picture you instead.

Betty instantly turned red in the face and felt like hiding. Some girls would be flattered, but she was embarrassed beyond belief to be a part of Daniel's sexual fantasies while he was with another woman.

"Hey . . . you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded timidly.

"I thought you'd be happy you're the only woman I've really thought about for six years," he defended.

"I am . . . it's just I feel a little cheap being thought of like _that_ . . . like some centerfold or something – not that I'm that beautiful . . ." she trailed off.

"You're _more_ beautiful, Betty. And I pictured you because I loved you and I wanted to be with you. You weren't just a pretty face with a sexy body – you were that and so much more," he explained.

"Thank you. That makes me feel a little better," she said. "But how could you stay with someone you could barely stand to have sex with? How could you think about marrying her?"

"I don't know, I guess I figured Maggie was the closest I would ever get to having you again, so I was willing to settle," he admitted. "Why don't we concentrate on us, right now, instead of trying to compete with our pasts?"

"Okay," she agreed as the doorbell rang.

Daniel got up, put on a t-shirt, and paid for their food. Betty followed and waited in the kitchen to check and make sure everything was all there.

"Alright, Margherita with extra cheese, pasta, and garlic knots – it's all here. Except the forks and napkins – they forgot those," she said and headed for the utensil drawer.

"Later," Daniel told her.

"What do you mean? We can't exactly eat linguini marinara with our fingers. And the last time we had Spinelli's you got sauce all over my couch cushion because you claimed you didn't need a napkin," she recalled.

"It came out, didn't it?" he argued, pointing to the scene of the crime.

"Actually, no it didn't," Betty remarked walking over to the couch and revealing the other side of the cushion, still stained with tomato sauce.

"Then we're even," he playfully smirked. "My comforter still smells like maple syrup. I had to throw it out."

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Food wasn't what I had in mind right now, anyway. It still has to cool off, right?" he assumed.

"Yeah . . ." she agreed, not seeing where he was going.

"So I thought maybe there might be a way we could pass the time . . ." he suggested, leading her up the stairs.

"Daniel, are you sure? This is a big step for us – monumental," she stalled on the landing. "And look at me; I'm still in my bunny slippers and your Harvard t-shirt."

"So am I - well not the bunny slippers . . . the point is, I don't care, Betty," he assured her. "I love you and I want this – I want _you_. I don't care what you're wearing because you look sexy in anything – especially in my t-shirt."

"Daniel . . ." Betty gave him a skeptical look.

"Betty, I'm serious. I love seeing you in the morning or at night before you go to sleep – no makeup, casual clothes – just you. And I love that you feel comfortable enough around me to show that side of you," Daniel replied. "Y-You look amazing."

"Thanks . . . You know, I bet our food's cooled down by now," she attempted to stall again.

"I don't care. C'mere," Daniel told her, leading her to their bedroom.

"A-Are you sure about this Daniel? This could change everything," she warned.

"I'm counting on it," he assured her, backing onto the bed with her. "It's you and me, baby. Nothing bad could ever happen – I promise."

Betty timidly nodded and they began to make love for the first time.

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"So, um, _that_ happened . . ." Daniel said, uncomfortably.

"Daniel, it's okay," Betty assured him.

"Betty, I'm so sorry! It wasn't you - I swear. _Shit!_ I don't know why this is happening!" he groaned, frustrated and humiliated, and couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.

Betty kept telling herself to believe him – that it really wasn't her. But what if it was? What if she didn't do it for him – not completely, anyway? It didn't matter right now, though. What mattered was building up Daniel's confidence. She couldn't let him think that everything was a complete disaster, because it wasn't. Up until that point it had been amazing.

"Babe, look at me," she gently cupped his face and forced him to listen to her. "For me, what we _did_ do was beyond satisfying. I've never had . . . _you know_ . . . from that – much less multiple _you knows_. Actually I've never had but maybe a couple . . . _you knows_ , period. So don't worry about what happened after. I can die a happy girl."

Daniel shyly smiled at her.

"I'm glad you weren't going all Meg Ryan on me. That helps, thanks . . . I-I guess you're not the only one who was a little self-conscious about everything," Daniel confessed, taking hold of her hand. "I wanted to hide it to make you feel better, but obviously there was a part of me I couldn't control that told the truth. You're the one, Betty. There's no one else I'll ever want to be with. And honestly, there are times when I'm terrified I won't be good enough for you – either in bed or just life in general."

"Daniel, why didn't you tell me? I would have understood. And you don't ever have to be afraid of not being good enough. You are so much more than that. Do you honestly think I would be marrying you if I didn't completely love and admire you? You are a kind, loving, intelligent, successful, talented, sexy man who never fails to make even my crappiest day better simply by being in the same room. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. Besides, I already know all of your faults and I've always loved you anyway, right?" she teased.

Daniel fought a smile, but lost.

"Maybe we should relax and not think about what we're scared of? Let's eat and try again when you feel like it?" Betty suggested, absently tracing the outlines of his chest. "There's no rushing this. We have our whole lives. I'm never leaving you, Daniel – you're it for me, too."

Daniel somberly nodded.

"I love you no matter what, babe," Betty promised and lovingly kissed his lips. "I'll go get the food. Why don't you pick out something for us to watch?"

"K," he agreed and turned on the TV, solemnly searching through the streaming service.

Betty put on her robe and glanced at him once more before she left the room, worried about him. This was one of the things he'd never failed to be extremely successful at – at least that _she_ knew of. She hated seeing him like this.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you for reading/reviewing! :) #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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The next few weeks were extremely difficult. Betty wasn't sure what to do or how to act to make Daniel feel better. He didn't hold her at night anymore. When she tried to hold him, he pushed her away. He was distant and wouldn't talk much except about work related subjects or typical necessities like food or where his tie was. All that she could think of was to be as positive and chipper as possible and try to think of things he loved to do or places he loved to eat to coax him out of his depression.

"Hey, babe!" Betty cheerily greeted Daniel with a chaste kiss, after leaving him to himself for an hour or so to do some shopping. "Guess what?! I found a really great charcoal grill at the hardware store and it can be delivered on Wednesday – which will be perfect! Papi wants to have a family barbecue this coming weekend and he wants your mom, Tyler, Amanda, Marc, and the baby to come."

"Betty . . ." Daniel began.

"I also made reservations for Michael's tomorrow night – I know how much you've been craving his spaghetti and meatballs. And Bobby, Justin, and Drew said they'd love to come over and try out the basketball court this afternoon. Bobby and Drew have been working on Justin's skills and Bobby says he's gotten better. Maybe you guys can help him out some more?" she rambled on.

"Betty," he tried again.

"I bought you some new shoes to try out on the court. Oh! And have you tried that new Bluetooth speaker I got you – you can take it anywhere – even while you play -" Betty continued, nervously.

" _Jesus_ , Betty will you stop coddling me, already?!" Daniel snapped. "I'm not a freakin' invalid!"

She dropped the pint of ice cream on the island, startled.

" _Damn it_ , Daniel! I was just trying to make you feel better and have some fun! You've been moping around for weeks now and snapping at everyone at work. People are starting to notice something's off. The press is even commenting on it, speculating I coerced you into dumping Maggie and getting engaged. You won't talk to me. You won't hold me or let me hold you. It's like I've done something to you and I know I haven't! You know what? I'm sorry I even tried!" she exclaimed, frustrated, and continued putting away the groceries.

"No, _I'm_ sorry, baby. I truly am. I shouldn't be taking it out on you – or anyone else. It's my problem," he apologized and got up to help her. "If anything, you should be pissed at me."

"What?! Why?" she wondered, softening.

"You know exactly why, Betty!" he exclaimed. "Do I have to come out and say it?!"

"Daniel, it's just going to take some time. I'm not mad – I'm just frustrated because I can't seem to do anything to help you and on top of that you're pushing me away. If you feel like I'm pressuring you, that's the last thing I was trying to do. I've been trying to get you to relax and take your mind off of it," she explained, massaging his shoulders and placing gentle kisses on his neck as he leaned over the counter with his head in his hands.

"I know. I know . . . It's just . . . the more you try to cheer me up or comfort me, the more pressure I feel. Could you just start treating me like normal? Yell at me when I put the empty milk carton back in the fridge or forget to set the alarm in the morning. Jab me in the ribs when I fall asleep during the financial meeting at work?" he asked. "Just call me a dumbass once in a while instead of being so freakin' nice all the time?"

"Okay," she agreed. "Dumbass."

"Hey – when it's called for," he lightheartedly objected, turning around and kissing her.

Betty giggled and kissed him back.

"You know, this works better for me, too," she admitted in between kisses. "If I had to play nice with your incompetent, snarky, bimbo of an assistant again, I was going to scream and kick her out of the building."

"Is she really that bad?" he questioned, nibbling her ear.

"Worse than Lexy-Like-Sexy," she confirmed.

Daniel chuckled.

"You were _so_ jealous of her," he mused, focusing his attention on the space between her neck and shoulder.

"Mmmmm . . . I was _not_. I could just tell she was trouble because _I_ was thinking with my _head_ ," she insisted.

"Betty, you did a mock impression of her and wouldn't stop giving me those judging looks of yours until I got rid of her," he argued.

"Okay, so she got to me. I was your assistant for three years and I thought you had finally realized what a good assistant should be. And she was definitely not a good assistant," she reminded him and pulled his lips back to hers. "Plus, she called you an old man – she obviously wasn't very smart."

"No . . . _you_ were . . . _You_ were the perfect assistant in every way . . . shape . . . and form . . ." Daniel told her as she continued to tease his lips. "Mmmm . . . Betty . . . I'm not trying to jinx anything . . . but I think we may . . . have lift-off . . ."

"Daniel, the guys will be here in a couple of hours – the great room is a mess," she halfheartedly fought him off.

"Betty? Please?" he pleaded.

"Okay . . ." she relented.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Wow . . . that was . . . oh my god . . . wow . . ." Betty said, out of breath as they finally collapsed on the tile floor.

"Yeah . . . I can't even begin to . . . that was amazing . . ." Daniel agreed.

"I've never done it in a kitchen before . . . I swear I'll never look at the island or the fridge the same again!" she giggled.

"Me neither!" he chuckled. "I've never felt like that before . . . so in sync - like we knew what each other was thinking. Maybe it's because I'm finally with the right person – someone who loves me as much as I love them."

"Well, you're half right," she told him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, apprehensively.

"I love you _more_ ," she corrected him with a slow ardent kiss.

"I don't think that's possible," he smiled and gazing into her eyes as he toyed with a lock of her hair. "Thank you . . . for putting up with me."

"It was definitely worth the wait . . ." she assured him. " _More_ than worth it."

"I'm glad . . . It was for me, too . . ." he agreed, kissing her shoulder. "So. Knowing this is what you're stuck with the rest of your life . . . any regrets?"

"Only that we didn't figure this out six years ago – actually ten, if you count when we first met," Betty answered.

"Yeah . . . but maybe ten is too much. We didn't exactly have our lives together at that point . . ." Daniel contemplated. "Maybe eight."

"Okay, eight," she agreed. "Can you imagine the looks we would've gotten if we actually had been together back then?"

"Marc and Amanda probably wouldn't have been able to do their jobs they'd be so busy making fun of us," Daniel scoffed.

"They did that anyway, though," Betty pointed out.

"True . . . We would've been really good together," he mused.

"We _are_ really good together," Betty reminded him.

"Very true . . . You wanna go again?" he proposed with a hopeful gleam in his blue eyes as he lightly traced her silhouette with his finger.

"Seriously? A _third_ time?" she raised her eyebrow.

"If you don't want to, I understand. I know you were probably exaggerating for my benefit," he told her, disappointed.

"Daniel, I meant what I said. That was the best sex I've ever had and it was because I was with you," she assured him.

"Yeah, yeah . . . former playboy, I get it," he replied, sighing.

"No, I mean _you_ – the real you that no one else knows. _That's_ why it was the best . . . because I got to be as close to you as two people can get . . . because I got to show you how much I love you . . . and because I felt how much you love me," she clarified. "I got to know you in a way I've never known you before and see you at your most vulnerable side. And it was also the most fun I've ever had with anyone like that. So you don't _ever_ have to ask me that question, Daniel. Of course I want to be with you again. I can't get enough of you!"

"Really?" he asked, incredulously.

" _Yes!_ " she giggled and began kissing every inch of his well-defined body when the doorbell rang.

" _Shit!_ I forgot about the guys coming – and they're early!" Daniel exclaimed, scrambling to throw on his pants. "Go! Go get dressed – I'll answer it!"

"Okay!" she agreed, grabbing her clothes off of the kitchen floor and running up to the bedroom.

"Baby, wait!" he ran up to her and devoured her lips one last time.

"Go! Hurry!" she said after gaining her composure, and playfully smacked his ass.

"You know I always secretly liked when you did that all those years ago," he revealed with a sexy smile.

Betty giggled.

" _Go!_ " she commanded.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, Mamita!" Hilda greeted her sister as she popped her head in the doorway of the bedroom. "Looks like _somebody_ was busy before we came . . ."

"Hilda! I didn't know you were coming!" Betty exclaimed, happily surprised.

"Yeah, well, the boys were gonna have some fun, so I figured why shouldn't I?" she explained. "Rosie's with Bobby's parents. They kept beggin' to have some time with her, so . . ."

"That's good," Betty smiled.

"I told Daniel he looked like a grinning idiot," Hilda laughed.

" _Hilda!_ " Betty berated.

" _What?!_ He did! His eyes were all glazed over and he was so cheery it was disgusting. You guys totally did it – it was all over his face," she excused.

Betty rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Sooo . . . how was it?" Hilda prompted.

"I'm probably going to be really sore tomorrow. Daniel slammed me against the fridge at one point and I hit my head, but _damn_ , it was amazing," Betty admitted, unable to hide a smile.

"Like always, right? God, you guys must be like rabbits!" she assumed.

"Actually . . . that was our first time – well, times," Betty confessed. "We tried before and . . . I think the expectations were just so high – I mean we've felt this way about each other for six years . . . It didn't happen . . . And it's been really tough for both of us."

"You know, Bobby and I went through the same thing before Rosie was conceived . . ." Hilda revealed. "I think he was afraid of havin' another baby and then losin' it again . . . that it was somehow his fault that we'd lost one before."

"Hilda, you know it was out of your control. Neither one of you were to blame," Betty told her.

"I know. And he knew it, too. It just took him a while to take the leap of faith that everything would be okay . . . and if it wasn't, we'd get through it together," she said. "Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know that I've been through it, too. You're not alone."

"Thanks," Betty squeezed her sister's hand.

"C'mon. Bobby wants us to get the stuff to make lasagna for dinner," Hilda said, pulling her up.

"Hilda, neither one of us can make something that complicated," Betty objected.

"Relax, Chica. Bobby taught me all there is to know – it's his favorite meal. And besides, he'll be here to help if we screw up," Hilda assured her. "FYI, you'd better learn how to make _your_ man's favorite dinner, too. You can't eat out all the time."

"Maybe Daniel and I could both learn something," Betty agreed.

"First thing before we do _anything_ in that kitchen – where's your mop and the disinfectant? We are goin' _all over_ that place 'til I feel like I can eat in there again!" Hilda half-joked.

Betty giggled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, you," Betty greeted Daniel as he came into her office the next day and locked the door. "I thought you had that meeting with the advertiser? Is something wrong?"

"Only that I've gone all afternoon without doing this . . ." Daniel captured her lips so passionately she had to steady herself by leaning against her desk.

"Don't tell me you blew off the meeting to kiss me," she muttered into his lips.

"They postponed," he explained. "I should thank them."

" _Daniel . . ._ " she giggled, shoving his stomach. "You're terrible!"

"Really? That's not what you said this morning . . ." he flirted, his hands roaming over her ass.

" _Daniel!_ " she berated, her eyes widening.

"I believe your exact words were: 'If all men were as good as you, the world would be a happier place,'" he quoted.

"I _knew_ that would go to your head!" she groaned, burying her head in his chest.

"I've heard I was good, but coming from my biggest critic makes me actually believe it," he joked.

"Well, believe it – and I meant it in _all_ aspects – not just sex. But before you continue to wear that smug smile on your face, remember your biggest critic is telling you to shut up, because egotism is a major turn-off," Betty smirked, toying with his Gucci tie.

"Well, that's the last thing I want to do," Daniel smiled, his eyes dancing as he leaned in. Their lips barely touched when there was a knock at the door.

"Daniel, I know you're in there and I know what you're doing," his mother's voice spoke on the other side.

"The statement that has killed the mood more times than I can count . . ." he grumbled, and reluctantly opened the door.

"Mom," he greeted her. "Thanks for making me feel like I'm back in high school again."

"You can't blame a mother for wanting to have a little fun with her son. Especially when I have so little to look forward to in life," she played the guilt card.

"Oh come on, Mom! You have two grandchildren, a ton of money, and a successful company to run. Stop trying to guilt-trip me," Daniel complained.

"I merely dropped in to officially congratulate you two on another successful issue. Thank god you took your head out of your ass and finally dropped that horrible bitch of a woman! She was no help to your first issue at all – not to mention your social life."

"Mom! Claire!" Daniel and Betty simultaneously exclaimed.

"I'm speaking the truth. I could tell she was a fake from the moment I met her. But I didn't utter a harsh word, did I?" Claire pointed out.

"No, you didn't," he unwillingly admitted.

"However, I wish you and Betty hadn't caused an all-out field day with the media. But I suppose any press is better than none . . ." she digressed.

"Claire, I apologize again for causing you any trouble," Betty told her.

"Betty, there's no need. I'm so happy for you two," Claire smiled and hugged her.

"Thank you," Betty smiled.

"So do I hear wedding bells any time soon?" Claire grilled the couple and caused and awkward silence to fall upon the room.

"Mom!" Daniel exclaimed.

"It's a common question to ask of my engaged children," Claire defended.

"We _have_ talked about it," Betty told her, looking back at Daniel for help.

"We've only officially been engaged for a few weeks," Daniel excused.

"And you've been in love with each other for six years. By all means, take your time. I'll be in the nursing home by the time my grandchildren are born, but perhaps I'll recognize them on my good days . . ." Claire manipulated.

"She's good, isn't she?" Daniel shook his head incredulously at Betty and ran his hand through his hair.

"She and my dad should team up," Betty joked. "We should prepare for this weekend."

"Mom, if anything happens, you'll be the first to know," Daniel promised.

"Definitely! We wouldn't be together if it wasn't for you offering me this job. Thank you, Claire," Betty told her.

"Yeah, as much as I hate you meddling in my love life, I'm glad you did," Daniel admitted.

"All I want is for my children to be happy. And Daniel, you were happiest when Betty was in your life," Claire replied. "The same goes for you, Betty, I might add."

Betty stared at the floor, still embarrassed that Claire Meade could see what was going on between them before they did.

Daniel put his arm around Betty's waist.

"I guess you're right. Even before I fell in love with you, Betty, I always felt better when you were around," he agreed.

"Even when I yelled at you for doing something stupid or insensitive?" she questioned, skeptically.

"Especially then . . . Maybe it was just knowing that you cared enough to try and make me a better person that pushed me to keep going every day," Daniel mused. "Mom? Could we use the jet in a couple of months?"

"Daniel, what are you thinking?" Betty wondered curiously.

"A wedding in Capri . . . our closest family and friends flown in on the jet," he suggested.

"Really?" her eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.

"Yeah," he said.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Claire agreed.

"But is there enough time? I mean there's passports and a marriage license and someone to marry us and invitations and the venue and flowers and food and my dress – I have to find one and the get it altered – and – and -" Betty's mind was reeling.

"Sweetheart, if this is what you two really want, I will make some calls," Claire offered.

"What do you think?" Daniel asked. "Mom can help us out with all the plans and maybe Christina could make your dress?"

"It sounds perfect – I'll have to ask Christina and I'm sure Hilda and Justin and Papi will want to help out as well. Is that okay?" she asked.

"Betty, this is _our_ wedding – of course it's okay," he assured her.

Betty hugged him tight.

"Thank you," she told him, trying not to cry.

"I just love making you happy," he replied modestly.

"As long as this is what you want, too," she said. She wanted to make sure he wasn't just doing this for her benefit.

"It is. It's where I was planning on proposing to you before. This is even better," he reassured her.

"Let's do it," she told him.

"You're in?" he asked, raising up his hand.

"I'm in," she confirmed and high-fived him.

"High-fiving for wedding plans? Apparently it's a new generation ritual," Claire skeptically remarked, observing her son and future daughter-in-law.

"It's just our thing," Betty explained gazing affectionately at her fiancé.

"That and lots of hugging," Daniel added with a loving smile.

"Hugging I understand," Claire said and held out her arms to the both of them. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Mom," Daniel said.

"Thank you, Claire," Betty told her.

"Well, I will get started on those calls, and you kids go home and celebrate," Claire smiled a knowing smile and left.

Daniel wrapped his arms around Betty and didn't let go for a long time.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, slightly worried.

"Yeah, I'm just really glad you're back in my life for good," he explained, tenderly kissing her forehead, allowing his lips to linger.

"Me too," she pressed her forehead against his. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too . . . more than anything," he told her. "Let's go home."

"Okay . . . wait – we've got dinner reservations," she reminded him.

"Then let's eat – because I can't wait to get you home again!" he playfully squeezed her ass.

" _Daniel . . ._ " she berated.

"C'mon," he coaxed, taking her hand as they headed out of her office. After a moment, he whispered in her ear with his sexy voice, "Have you ever done it in an elevator?"

" _Daniel!_ Are you freakin' kidding me?!" Betty objected.

He gave her a look that clearly showed he wasn't.

" _Oh my god_ , you're incorrigible!" she shoved his chest, and fought the urge to give in to his suggestion.

Without saying a word, Daniel grabbed her and pulled her into the elevator. Betty pushed him off and hit the button for the first floor. He hit the stop button and cornered her. He began teasing her lips, then grazed her teeth with his tongue before deepening the kiss. As Daniel's hands began working their way up her skirt and his lips were on her neck, Betty knew she'd lost the battle.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you so much for reading/reviewing! :) Please ignore any mistakes in the Italian spoken in this chapter/chapters to come. I relied mostly on websites for correct translation and am not sure of how accurate they are, lol. #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Betty and Daniel's wedding was something only seen in fairytales or in the movies – beautiful scenery and floral decor, gorgeous designer attire, and the people they were closest to all there to share in it. Even Wilhelmina and Conner were in attendance. They were much better friends while not engaging in competition.

Marc officiated the private ceremony in his own endearing way, and Hilda and Alexis stood up for them. Rosalina, as their flower girl, sprinkled multi-colored rose petals down the aisle. And William, as the ring bearer, presented them with platinum bands – Betty's, a diamond one. Both of them had the inscription 'Our love surpasses time'.

The newlyweds honeymooned for a week in Paris, and had just come back to the vacation house in Capri for a week there. Daniel's mother had given them the 2-story, 3-bedroom, 3,000 sqft. home as a wedding present. It was the best present they could receive. They could come back and stay whenever they wanted. It would be a chance to relive the past and make new memories as well.

"I can't believe this view!" Betty exclaimed, overwhelmed with excitement.

"You wanna take a walk before lunch?" Daniel asked.

"I don't think we have time. It takes almost five hours to get to Rome from here. Let me get my tour book – I wrote down all the places we wanted to go and have maps for everything. If we take the boat and then the train to go see the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum now, then we can eat lunch at Antonio's and make it back in time to do some shopping. We can stay overnight at a hotel in Rome and do the rest of the site-seeing tomorrow and possibly the next day. Then on our way back here, we can see the Blue Grotto," she said, looking through her black Coach butterfly bag that matched the keychain Daniel had given her. It was one of many wedding gifts he had gotten her. "I already packed your overnight bag and made sure to put in your Ipad, charger, outlet converters, and the Chromecast in case we want to watch a movie or something at the hotel tonight. Oh – and I threw in your lucky boxers, a couple of the new shirts you got in Paris, and your Dramamine for the boat. Should I go ahead and book a hotel now? The best ones could be full by tonight."

"Betty, you know how much I love your organizational skills at work. But can you relax a little?" he asked. "We just spent a whole week in Paris following your strict itinerary in order to fit it all in. You even scheduled when I was allowed to pee!"

"Babe, I was just trying to make sure we could see as much as possible. Who knows when we'll have time to make it back here again?" she excused.

"We can go here anytime we want! That's the beauty of Mom giving us this place. Paris isn't far from here at all," he argued.

"True," she agreed.

"So. Since _you_ got to run the Paris trip, why don't you let _me_ run the one in Italy?" he proposed.

"I don't know, Daniel. There are so many things that we both want to see and do. How are we going to fit them all in if we use your spontaneous, do whatever-whenever method?" she disputed.

"We're not. But if you stop being so anal for two seconds, we'll sure as hell have a lot more fun!" he maintained.

"Oh, is _that_ how you feel? That I'm _anal retentive?_ That our week in Paris wasn't _fun?!_ That spending time with me isn't _fun?!_ " she snapped.

" _No_ – baby, that's not what I meant!" Daniel insisted. "I just want to be able to not think about schedules and maps. I want to take a walk and see where it leads . . . try out a restaurant before checking out its credentials online . . . have sex when I feel like it instead of between 6am-7am or 10pm-11pm. This is our honeymoon for christ's sake – not a freakin' business trip!"

"Fine! Screw the maps! We'll go for a damn walk and spend hours aimlessly searching for our destination! I can be flexible!" Betty maintained as she flung the maps and her book down, grabbed her purse, and stormed out the door.

"Betty! Wait!" Daniel called, following her. " _Damn_ , you walk fast for someone so short!"

" _You're_ not exactly LeBron James, either! Stop following me, Meade! I'm fine on my own," she insisted after he caught up to her.

Daniel rolled his eyes.

" _No, you're not fine!_ You can't just wander around the streets of a foreign country by yourself!" he argued.

"Why the hell not? I did it six years ago!" she retorted.

" _Betty!_ " he objected.

"I'm just stating a fact," she excused, slightly regretful of her comment, but continued to walk at a fast pace until he stopped her.

Daniel softened, rubbing his hands along her upper arms and looking at her with his blue, puppy dog eyes.

"Baby, I don't want to fight, okay? This is stupid! This is supposed to be the best time of our lives – not World War 3 . . . Look at these," he took both of her hands in his. "You see these rings? They're not just for fashion. They mean something. They mean that we promised to be together no matter what. They mean that we're allowed to be happy – we _should_ be happy right now, because we won't always be happy."

"That's comforting," she sarcastically rolled her eyes.

" _Betty_ , you know what I mean," Daniel scolded his wife. "Marriage is tough – but I don't care. I know you and I can get through anything if we're together. We actually have so far. Not all couples can say that. But we've been a team for years. Not everything will be perfect all the time - and that's life. I can promise you that just like right now, we'll argue from time to time because I'm me and you're you. But there's no one else I'd rather fight with or make up with than you. There's no one else that I'd rather spend all the good times with either. You're my wife, Betty. Do have any idea how incredible that is? How long I've dreamed for this to happen? So, truce? Because I'd really like to get to the making up part."

Betty pondered his proposition for a moment. How dare Daniel call her anal retentive or accuse her of not being fun simply because she was being logical! It was impractical not to plan their trip. But as she looked at her new husband's irresistible face and contemplated his words, she realized there would be disagreements she would need to compromise on. Fighting on their honeymoon wasn't any way to start out a marriage – a marriage Daniel clearly had dreamt about even longer than she had. And it was a ridiculous fight anyway. Why not let him have some random time to enjoy the scenery in Capri without any rush? As long as she could still get to some of the sites she wanted to see later in the week, they could always come back. He was right – they now had a home here.

"Truce . . . Since we're already out here, we can do it your way today," she conceded, kissing him long and softly.

"You sure? Because we could go back to the house and spend some time making up before going to Rome?" he offered, teasing her seductively with his lips.

Betty reciprocated, getting lost in the moment. She was so lucky to have her best friend as her husband. He wasn't perfect – he wasn't the Adonis all the women fawned over. He was so much more. He was human. He was quirky and flawed, but those qualities made him even more endearing. It also didn't hurt that he was gorgeous, smart, loving, and kind . . . She could go on for days – he was an amazing man and he had chosen _her_. Even after all those years, he still had chosen her.

" _Mmmm . . ._ Babe, as tempting as that sounds – and believe me, it's tempting - we'll have plenty of time for making up later. We're already almost to downtown," she reluctantly pointed out, placing her hands on his chest.

"I guess you're right . . . You mentioned shopping - there are a bunch of little shops in the village not too far from here. I know it's not high-end couture, but I promise we'll go to those stores later on this week," he said as they began to walk hand-in-hand.

"Okay," she said. "I might be able to get some costume jewelry or some other souvenirs there."

"Good. And there are some restaurants close by when we're done. I really like this one called Buca di Bacco. I ate there a lot when I stayed here after London. You can see a great view the Marina Grande from a window seat there," he described.

"Sounds really romantic . . . I hate that you had to go there alone," she replied as she leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling guilty.

"Don't start blaming yourself again, baby. I didn't bring it up to make you feel bad. I just wanted to take you there for the food and the atmosphere," Daniel explained.

Betty nodded timidly.

"We're not allowed to blame ourselves for what happened in the past, okay?" he told her.

"Okay," she reluctantly agreed.

Daniel's lips barely brushed against hers when a twin boy and girl who couldn't have been more than five or six bumped into them.

"Scusi! Scusi, Signore! How about a scarf for your belle signorina?" the boy asked.

"Or these?" the girl offered a pair of earrings.

Daniel chuckled at how adorable they were and looked at Betty. She smiled back at him.

"Quanto?" he asked.

"Cinquanta," the boy answered.

"Vinti," Betty bargained. It was a good thing she had tried to learn a little Italian and French before their trip.

"Per favore! My brother and I need things for school," the girl begged.

"Dov'e genitori?" Daniel inquired.

"Orfani," the girl answered.

"Isa! Silenzo!" the boy scolded his sister.

"Oh, Daniel . . ." Betty's heart melted when she realized these poor children had no family and were having to work for basic needs.

"Dov'e tu casa?" Daniel asked.

"Orfanotrofio Violetta," Isa answered.

"Cento," he handed the money to the boy.

"No-no. No grazie!" Isa politely refused. "Nicky, it's too much!"

"Silenzo!" the boy told his sister.

"Take it. We want to help you and your friends," Betty insisted.

"Grazie tante! Sei molto gentile!" Isa told them.

"Si. Grazie!" Nicky said. "Thank you very much!"

"Lo sono Daniel," Daniel introduced himself. "And this is mia moglie, Betty."

Betty blushed. She was still getting used to being called someone's wife. And the fact that she was Daniel's made it even better.

"Buon giorno," Betty greeted them.

"Buon giorno. Lo sono Isabella. Questo e mio fratello," the girl replied and nudged her brother.

"Lo sono Nicholas," he told them.

"Nicky, give it back," his sister nudged him again.

"Here is your wallet," the boy timidly confessed his crime to Daniel, reluctantly pulling it out of his pocket. "Scusi. Colpa mia."

Daniel's eyes widened and he looked like he was going to lash out at the child when Betty placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Grazie for your honesty, Nicholas. That was buon coraggiosa. I'm sure you won't do that again – to anyone?" Betty delicately scolded the boy.

"No – no, Signora Betty, Signore Daniel. Scusi," Nicky promised.

"Good. Why don't we take you home. I'm sure your supervisor is worried about you," Daniel suggested.

"No she's not," Nicky told him.

"Signora Mary is the one who sent us here. We all have to raise money for the orfanotrofio," Isa explained.

"You speak English very well. Do you and the other children have to do this often?" Betty asked.

"Si. When we were old enough to speak we were taught Italian and English. That way we can . . . how you say . . . _bargain_ with more tourists," Nicky explained.

"Isn't it dangerous for kids your age to be out here alone talking to strangers?" Daniel asked, concerned.

"We're okay," Isa insisted. "The older kids, over there, look out for us."

Daniel and Betty saw two teenagers across the street selling bottled water and soda. They appeared to be around sixteen years old.

"I still don't like it," Daniel maintained. "We're taking you back before something happens to you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After Betty and Daniel had taken the children back to the orphanage, Daniel gave the headmistress more money to support the rest of the children. They ended up spending the rest of the day with all of the children. It made the couple feel better, but something still didn't feel right.

"Betty? You awake?" Daniel asked in the middle of the night.

"Unfortunately," she answered. "What is it?"

"I'm going to start a charity for that orphanage. Having kids that young go around asking strangers for money is too dangerous these days. None of them have any adults watching them."

"That's a wonderful idea, Daniel," she told her husband. "I love how concerned you are about these children. I married a good man."

"I'm just as concerned as anyone should be, Betty," he said, modestly. "Those kids stole my heart. They'd steal anyone who had a heart."

"I know . . . especially Isabella and Nicholas," she agreed. "Nicky could be a basketball player. Did you see the way he was dribbling that ball you and the boys were playing with?"

"If only basketball was popular in Italy . . . Did you hear him reciting Star Wars lines word for word? And Bella's such a little dancer," he smiled.

"Or a singer," Betty smiled back. "She was belting out those American songs like she was on 'The Voice'."

"She was . . . And she's _so_ smart! She already knows her times tables and how to read in both languages. Reminds me of a little you," he marveled.

Betty smiled, shyly.

"Baby? I know you wanted to go to Rome tomorrow morning, but could we stop by the orphanage first?" Daniel timidly asked.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Betty wondered.

"I hope so . . . Betty, I want to adopt them," he revealed.

"Really?! You mean it?!" Betty squealed and attacked her husband with a hug.

"Yeah. I mean, I know we just got married and we're supposed to be having time to ourselves and everything . . . but these kids need us _now_. I wish we could adopt them all, but adopting the twins and developing a charity would be a start. Hopefully we can raise awareness of the children who are in need of permanent homes and families."

"I knew there was a reason why I love you so much – you have such a big heart," she lovingly kissed him. "So I guess we're starting our family a little earlier than we expected?"

"I guess so," Daniel smiled. "Is that okay? I'm serious, Betty. This is a big decision and on top of raising two 5 year-olds, I'm sure there'll be a ton of paperwork and legal hassle even to be able to make it happen -"

"Daniel, I want this as much as you do. I don't care what it takes if we can give Nicholas and Isabella the family they deserve," she assured him. "It breaks my heart that both of their parents were killed in a crash when they were only six months old."

"Me too," he said. "You know, I don't remember a whole lot of good times with my parents, but at least I had them. They didn't physically abuse me and they gave me a roof over my head, a college education, and all the food and luxuries I could imagine. They certainly weren't perfect and I fought with them constantly, but compared to these kids I had it made and then some. It makes me grateful for what they gave me."

"I know . . . it makes me want to take back any time I ever fought with Papi or Mami. They worked really hard to give Hilda and me everything they could." Betty sighed. "We should call our parents tomorrow."

Daniel nodded in agreement.

"Betty, I want to give these children what we had when we were growing up. With my family's wealth and your family's unconditional love . . . they'd have the best of both worlds," Daniel told her.

"Daniel, you know your dad loved you, right?" Betty assured him.

"Right," he scoffed.

"He might not have shown it very often, but he honestly did," she insisted.

"How would _you_ know?" he countered, somewhat annoyed.

"He asked me to look after you, Daniel – right before he died," she revealed.

"Really?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I guess maybe I thought that if you knew, you'd think I only came back to work out of obligation or because your dad's ghost kept haunting me until I did . . . But I realized that not only did I want to be there for you, but that you were right. That job was helping me to grow as a person."

Daniel took her in his arms and held her tight.

"You being there helped me grow, too," he said. "I guess my dad knew what he was doing by hiring you . . . But he was definitely wrong about me not wanting to sleep with you!"

"Daniel, I wasn't your assistant then," Betty reminded him.

"No, but you still worked for me," he pointed out. "I remember the last time we had this discussion . . . You were wearing that navy dress with the flowers on it . . . If Lexy hadn't interrupted us, who knows what would've happened."

"Daniel, I thought you didn't realize you had feelings for me until I told you I was leaving?" she questioned, confused.

"That didn't mean I didn't recognize a sexy woman when I saw her," he maintained. "You've always been beautiful, Betty. And the more I knew you, the more attractive you became - both outside and in."

Betty blushed and snuggled into him.

"I still can't believe we made it here," Betty marveled.

"To Italy?" he assumed.

"No. _Us_ – _married_ ," she clarified.

"We're gonna be a family," he smiled and kissed her temple.

"That, too," she added, turning to capture his lips.

"I'm sorry about this morning," he apologized.

"No, _I'm_ sorry, Daniel. If we'd stuck to my schedule, we'd never have met those children. But I'm also sorry for wanting to control everything," Betty admitted.

"You've always been more practical than I am. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. Permission to make up – even though it's not within the scheduled time?" Daniel teased.

"Permission granted," she grinned, toying with the band on his boxers as her lips made their way from his pectorals down to his abs. "Although, there's no way we'd be up between 6am and 7am anyway, so technically . . ."

" _Betty_ ," Daniel warned by attacking her in a tickle fight.

"Daniel, stop! _Stop!_ " she giggled and struggled to break free of his grip. " _Let me go!"_

"Never," Daniel flirted.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise," he vowed and proceeded to make love to his wife.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you for reading/reviewing! :) #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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Adopting children in Italy proved harder than Betty and Daniel had thought. Very few out of country adoptions had taken place there. Luckily, Daniel had a lot of pull due to his family's name and the fact that his family had spent many summers in the home they owned in Capri. Within five months, complete with sleepless nights, Nicholas and Isabella were officially Nicholas Bradford and Isabella Rosalina Meade.

Regardless of their good luck, Betty had been so apprehensive of everything going smoothly, she had had nervous bouts of sickness and eating binges a week prior to the official adoption ceremony. And apparently the worrying hadn't stopped.

"Betty? Hey, are you okay?" Daniel called after his wife, who had run out of the main cabin of the Meade jet and into the bathroom.

Betty leaned over the toilet and heaved.

"Baby, you can stop throwing up now – it's over. We're a family," Daniel rubbed his wife's back as she kneeled over the toilet.

"Tell that to my stomach," she remarked and heaved again.

"Are you still worried something will happen? Because I've got Nicky and Bella's adoption papers in my briefcase - our lawyer said it's an iron-clad deal. They're ours – no loopholes. You don't have to be nervous anymore," he assured her.

"I know. And mentally, I'm fine. But obviously my gut is trying to tell me something," Betty sighed.

"You think it's something you ate? You had _a lot_ of fried mozzarella with your risotto at lunch," he wondered.

Betty glared at him.

"You're giving me that look. Why are you giving me that look?" Daniel questioned, clueless.

Betty continued to glare at him until it dawned on him.

"I was just trying to figure out the issue. I love that you have such a healthy appetite. It's adorable. Especially after dating models who barely nibbled on a piece of celery. Anyway, you've never been airsick before . . . Maybe you're coming down with something?" he guessed and curiously kissed her forehead. "You don't have a fever – that's good."

"I hope not. The last thing I want the first time we take our kids to their new home is to tell them we can't be near each other. They're miles away from everything and everyone they're used to. They need this time to be with us and get adjusted to life in a new country, and new people," Betty sighed and gestured for Daniel to hand her the cup of water. "I want this to be special for them."

"I know you do, baby, and so do I. But don't push yourself. The flu is a natural part of life. The kids will understand if you're not a hundred percent. We'll just spread the tour out to one site per day if that's what it takes," he assured her as he helped her up to brush her teeth.

"Go check on Bella and Nicky. I'll be fine," she told him.

"They're watching a movie and coloring. I'm staying here," he insisted.

"Something age-appropriate I hope?" Betty questioned.

"Are you saying you don't trust my parental judgement?" he feigned offense.

Betty gave him a look.

"Is this because I let DJ watch 'The Hangover' when he was thirteen?" he asked. "Because Alexis didn't have a problem with it either – she came in and made popcorn."

"Babe, what are our six-year-olds watching?" Betty repeated, ignoring his excuse. Reasoning with Daniel felt like having to deal with another child, sometimes.

"'Harry Potter'," he replied, satisfied with his choice.

"Which one?" she asked.

"I don't know . . . It's 'Harry Potter'. They're kids' movies – what's the difference?" Daniel shrugged.

"Um, the difference between children with sweet dreams and children who are sleeping in bed with us tonight because they're terrified Voldemort is going to get them," Betty crossed her arms.

"You mean that bald albino guy with bad breath and no life? Really?" Daniel asked, skeptically.

Betty rolled her eyes and hid a smile before attempting to go check on Bella and Nicky.

"Wait. Betty, stay here. I'll see which movie it is," Daniel insisted. "Let me tuck you in bed and I'll make sure it's nothing too scary."

"Daniel . . ." she protested. "I can take care of myself. _Go._ "

Only as soon as she whipped around in the other direction, she felt dizzy and nauseated again. Daniel had to catch her from falling.

"Hey . . . careful, baby. You don't have to do everything on your own. You've taken care of me more times than I can count. Let me take care of you," he insisted.

"Okay," she caved, really having no choice at the moment, and allowed Daniel to lead her to the bed and tuck her in.

He then went to see how the kids were doing and returned with a few things for Betty.

"Here are some crackers, pretzels, and ginger ale. They might stop the queasiness," he put them by her bedside and kissed her lovingly on the lips. "It was the movie where they all look really young."

"Good," Betty replied, relieved.

"You're a great mom," Daniel smiled and caressed her cheek.

"Thank you. You're getting the hang of being a great dad, too," she teased.

Daniel chuckled.

"Get some rest," he tweaked her nose with his lips and then kissed her mouth. "I love you, Betty Meade."

"I love you, too, babe. But I still can't get used to my new last name. I had to stop myself from screwing up the adoption papers," she mused. "Whenever anyone called me Signora Meade, I kept looking around for your mother."

"It's been five months," Daniel pointed out.

"And I've been Betty Suarez for thirty-two years," she countered.

"Point taken. I guess guys have it easy," he agreed.

"Exactly. Why don't men have to change their last name instead?" she said.

"Well, technically, you didn't have to change your name either. And you _did_ hyphenate it," he answered.

"True. But I wanted to. I wanted the world to know that you were mine and I was yours," she smiled.

"Still happy you're stuck with me, huh?" he flirted.

"You're not so bad," she teased. "And I wouldn't have two amazing children without you."

"When you're feeling better, we could always start on the third and fourth . . ." he gave her a sexy stare.

"Tempting as that sounds, I think we need to concentrate on the ones we just got before creating new ones," she advised.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Doesn't mean we can't practice all we want . . ." she reminded him.

Daniel grinned and fervently kissed his wife.

"Get some sleep. I plan to do a lot a practicing tonight, if you're up to it," he told her. "I'm gonna go watch the rest of the movie with Nicky and Bella."

A few hours later, they arrived in New York. As they were on their way home, the new family made a stop at Build-a-Bear when Nicky and Bella's eyes lit up at the sight of the cute stuffed animals in the window. Betty seemed to be feeling a little better at the moment so she and Daniel relented. Nicky made a Chewbacca with an 'I heart New York' shirt. The heart was an American flag. Isabella made a Statue of Liberty bear.

Betty and Daniel couldn't wait to show their children their new home. They had painted and decorated their bedrooms with new furniture and bedding.

Bella's room was princess and butterfly themed, painted a light purple. Her comforter had butterflies on it and there were tasteful wall hangings of butterflies on the walls. She had a light pink princess-style bunk bed, with a slide to get down. Under the bed was a bookshelf with an American Girl-sized canopy doll bed for her new doll, Rebecca. Betty and Daniel had chosen it for Bella because the doll was from New York. Next to the doll bed was a large light pink wardrobe for her doll. An animatronic unicorn and a cushioned pullout chair sat in the other corner under her bed. A desk and dresser completed her bedroom.

Nicky's room was painted a light green, and glow in the dark stars had been placed on the ceiling in the shapes of constellations. His comforter was 'Star Wars' themed and framed posters of the movie characters and quotes hung tastefully on the walls. His bed was also a bunk bed with a slide, but with a space theme instead. A large talking Darth Vader, interactive R2-D2, plush Ewok, and plush Yoda sat on top of the bookshelf underneath his bed. A pullout chair sat next to the bookshelf. A desk and dresser filled up the rest.

Daniel and Betty had also dedicated one extra-large room as Nicholas and Isabella's playroom. The couple, along with generous contributions from their families and friends, had filled one side for Bella and one side for Nicky, with space in between for both of them to share.

Bella's side had a four-sided fully furnished Barbie-sized doll house, and one extra-large house-shaped shelf for the rest of her American Girl doll accessories and furniture she might receive in the future, along with a few current pieces. A separate shelf was placed along the other wall for any other Barbie, Ever After High, or Shopkins toys to come. There was also a small princess castle tent and life-sized, realistic plush tiger on her side.

The middle of the room had a Lego table, as well as a coloring/painting table and chairs, a book shelf filled with books and puzzles, and a dry-erase board on the wall with the American and Italian flags on each end.

Nicky's side was filled with a car race track, a train track, and shelves filled with Transformers, Star Wars, The Avengers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures. Pokemon play sets and a pirate ship also had places on the shelves. A pirate ship tent and a life-sized, realistic plush lion and wolf completed his side of the playroom.

Both Nicky and Bella flipped over the basketball court. The gaming/movie room was also a big hit. It was perfect for the whole family to watch movies or play karaoke or dance games along with the occasional Super Mario Bros. game.

The kids also couldn't wait to start American kindergarten after winter break. They loved being with their new parents but missed playing with more children their own age. Their cousin, Rosalina, was the only child their age that they knew.

The rest of their week, when not working or sick, was spent with extended family and friends going to Ellis Island, seeing the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, Coney Island, and other import landmarks in New York – including Meade Publications. Fortunately, Betty was able to stay at home and let her family or Daniel's show Nicky and Bella around the times she felt nauseated. She hated missing out on their reactions to all the new sites, but at least the kids got to know their grandparents and aunts and uncles. And she insisted Daniel go along, too, when he wasn't at work. There was no point in him missing those moments because she was miserable.

After a surprise welcome party for the children at the Meade building, thrown by Wilhelmina and Marc, Daniel and Betty found another surprise when they all arrived home.

It was the last thing in the world that either one of them had expected. But after all the happiness they'd had recently, Betty figured it had probably been due.

A mob of reporters started shouting questions and accusations of neglected parenting at them. Neither Betty nor Daniel knew what to think until they saw a familiar woman stand up from the steps of their home.

"Hello, Danny . . . Betty," Maggie greeted them, holding a bundled up infant. "Daniel, I'd like you to meet your daughter – Madelyn Danielle Meade."


	12. Chapter 12

_Thank you so much for reading/reviewing! :) #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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Neither one of them could find the words to speak for a moment as the shock overwhelmed them. Then Daniel finally found his voice.

"Betty?" he looked at her, indicating that this was not a situation to involve their children in.

"I'll get the kids settled in the playroom or something. Why don't you two talk in the living room?" she told her husband and kissed him soundly on the lips before leaving them behind. Part of it was reflex, but the other was a need for Maggie to see that Daniel was hers. She wasn't sure why she still felt threatened by the woman. After all, Daniel admitted he was only with Maggie because he couldn't be with her. But a child could change everything. A biological child would link Daniel to Maggie forever.

"Mama Betty? Did you hear us?" Nicky and Bella looked up at her.

"Hmm? Yeah, guys, what is it?" she asked them.

"We're hungry. Can we make spaghetti?" Bella asked.

"Of course! You know, that's your dad's favorite meal, too. And I think he could use some comfort food right now," she put on a cheery attitude, masking the apprehension that consumed her at the moment. "I'm pretty sure we have all the ingredients, but you guys can help me check after you wash your hands."

"Mama? That signorina said the bambino was Papa's. Is that true? Is Papa a cattivo padre like those people said?" Nicky asked.

"No! No, of course not, buddy. Your father is a very _good_ dad. Don't ever let anyone tell you any different. He's talking to the lady right now. And whatever happens, we love you both and we will always be a familgia," Betty assured her son and daughter with hugs and kisses. "Now, let's see if we can find the breadcrumbs . . ."

Daniel walked in the door with the sleeping baby, a pack 'n' play, and a diaper bag just as soon as Betty and the kids finished looking for the ingredients.

"Babe, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked Betty.

"Yeah," she answered, knowing their conversation would take a lot more than a second. "Nicky, Bella, why don't you go watch that new movie for a little bit? It's already set up for you."

The children ran up to the movie room while Betty and Daniel went to their bedroom with the baby. Daniel closed the door and locked it.

"She's mine from what Maggie said," he reluctantly told her.

" _Oh my god . . ._ " Betty's stomach sunk and she felt the urge to throw up again.

"Maggie had this plan to have the baby and get publicity from it – the whole Meade heir thing," Daniel explained.

"Another Wilhelmina Slater in the making," Betty rolled her eyes. "Well, the old one anyway. She probably planned the pregnancy, too . . ."

"I don't think she went that far – she couldn't have. I always wore a condom," he assured his wife.

"At least that's something . . ." Betty sighed.

"She expects me to pay $10,000 a week for child support," he scoffed.

"$10K a week for a baby?! Is there a new Prada line I don't know about? Mami and Papi raised Hilda and me on less than $250 a week combined. I know there's formula and diapers and clothes and toys, but she's out of her damn mind if she thinks that's reasonable!" Betty reacted then realized she needed to calm down or she'd wake the baby.

"Yeah, but I guess Maggie figures I'm loaded so she can get away with it," Daniel assumed.

"If anything, you'd put the majority of that $10,000 into a trust fund or a college fund – even tuition for private school. Anything but let that freakin' bitch get her nasty hands on it," she commented, furious at the woman for even thinking of taking advantage of her husband and an innocent baby.

"I know, I know. Anyway, I told her the money won't happen – not in the way she was demanding it. Maggie threatened to hire a lawyer and a full-time nanny. She refuses to handle the pressure of raising a child and working full time without ever having time for a social life. I told her that was unacceptable. I'd rather raise Madelyn myself," he said.

"You actually told her that?" Betty questioned, half proud and half angry at her husband for not consulting her first.

"I'm so sorry, Betty. I know I should have talked to you, but I just couldn't let her do this. I had that life and it was no childhood – I barely saw my parents except for vacations and holidays or the occasional 'goodnight' or 'good morning'," he explained, staring at his daughter. "This is my child. And Maggie doesn't want this little girl – she wants her career and her friends."

"How could anyone be so selfish not to want a precious little baby? I just can't imagine that anyone would give her up so easily," Betty rhetorically asked, gazing at the little girl with her tiny eyes closed.

"Well . . ." Daniel trailed off.

"Well what?" she asked.

"Nothing . . . everything's fine! We're gonna get through this – no problemo!" he winked and gave her a thumbs-up.

"You're hiding something – you're giving me the thumbs-up again and telling me 'no problemo'," she caught him.

"Not hiding . . . more like was waiting for the right moment," he clarified.

" _Daniel_ ," Betty warned.

"Okay. Okay. Maggie told me that she'd give me Madelyn, no strings attached, as long as I gave her a million dollars . . . and make her head of the advertising department at Meade, with a no-firing clause and a share in the company," he reluctantly revealed.

"You said no, right?" she hopefully assumed.

A long awkward pause fell upon them while Daniel struggled to find words.

"Daniel?" she prompted.

"I-I said I'd think about it," he admitted.

"You _what?!_ Daniel, you just agreed to consider _buying_ your daughter - and giving Maggie a permanent position at Meade!" Betty exclaimed, only to accidentally wake up Madelyn.

"I know! _I know!_ But what was I supposed to do? Let Maggie take her back and do god knows what with her while I took the time to fight for full custody? At least this way I know she'll be safe and cared for," he argued, soothing his daughter. "And either way, Maggie will find a way to sic the press on us – she has already . . ."

"Are you sure Madelyn's even yours?" Betty asked.

"Pretty sure," he answered. "Maggie told me she hadn't slept with any other guys around that time."

"Maybe you should get a DNA test?" she suggested. "I don't trust her."

"Does it really matter? I mean, so what if Madelyn isn't my daughter? She still needs a good home – who knows who the father could be if she isn't?" Daniel argued.

"The biological father deserves to know, Daniel," Betty insisted. "And I'm still processing this. How the hell can this be happening?! I thought we were through dealing with Maggie?"

"I know. I'm sorry, baby. We were just starting our lives together . . ." Daniel apologized.

"How did we not know about this earlier? If she wanted publicity, why didn't she leak it to the press earlier?" Betty questioned.

"She was transferred to Chicago before she found out. It wouldn't have had the same impact there. She came back to have the baby and get support from her father – only her father rejected her. He told her she had shamed her family," he explained.

"I'm surprised he hadn't told her that earlier," Betty scoffed.

" _Betty,_ " Daniel scolded.

"Sorry. I just see red whenever I think of that woman and how she's treated you," she excused. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Don't you think you're being a little overdramatic?" Daniel said, skeptically. "Maybe you've been spending a little too much time having lunch with Marc?"

"No, Daniel. I'm serious!" she maintained and ran to the bathroom.

"I'm really worried about you. It's been a few weeks and you're still getting sick. You're going to the doctor first thing tomorrow," he said, putting Madelyn back in the bassinette of her pack 'n' play and following Betty.

"Tomorrow's Saturday, Daniel," she reminded him, wiping her mouth.

"I don't care. Something's going on with you and it's more serious than just the flu," he insisted.

"I'm not sitting in urgent care or the ER for eight hours just so they can give me some antibiotics," she scoffed, struggling to stand up.

Daniel helped her and handed her a cup of water.

"Fine. Then I'm getting our family physician. He makes house calls," he insisted.

"You have a family physician who comes to your house?" Betty asked incredulously as she brushed her teeth. "Isn't that expensive?"

"Yeah, so? It doesn't matter when you really need to see a doctor, right?" Daniel shrugged, making sure she was steady as she rinsed out her mouth. "And you really need to see a doctor."

"I guess not," she conceded, still not crazy about the expense. "Maybe we can get you two tested, too."

"Yeah, I guess there's no point in waiting to find out," he agreed. "She's so sweet. I can't get over how tiny she is."

"She's adorable," Betty sighed, her emotions conflicting with each other.

"Betty, you know this doesn't change anything. We're still a family just as much as we were before. And Maggie won't even be involved," Daniel assured her.

"You can't promise that, Daniel. Maggie is her mother. Even if we legally win this fight, she still has every right to be involved if she wants to be, unless we can prove her to be an unfit mother. She could decide to be in Madelyn's life at any point. That's what worries me. If she gets what she wants, she'd work in the same building. She's manipulative and conniving – otherwise she would have told you she was pregnant to begin with," Betty disagreed. "And the fact that she's willing to give up her child in exchange for money and a job makes her even worse."

"Okay, fine. Maggie might decide at one point that she has a heart. She still will have no right to take Madelyn away from us, though – not with the custody agreement I'm planning. And if you're worried about us – don't. I don't love Maggie – I never really did," he swore.

Betty nodded.

"Those aren't the only issues I have, though. Madelyn's your daughter with Maggie. If the DNA test is positive, you have a child with that woman. You and she created a life together. That's a bond that's hard to ignore, if she decides to start hanging around at some point," she told him.

"Betty, this is completely different. We didn't make or adopt this child out of love," he argued.

"It doesn't matter, Daniel. She's yours," Betty sighed.

"Baby, I don't know how else to convince you that everything will be okay. But it will be. _You_ are my wife and I'm crazy in love with you – that will never change. Nicky and Bella are _our_ children. And if Madelyn really is my child, she'll be ours, too. _We'll_ be the ones bonding over her every day – not me and Maggie," he maintained.

"That's true . . . I never thought about it like that," she calmed down a little. "We should probably check on the kids. I promised them spaghetti for dinner."

"Betty, you don't have to make that for them, right now. You're sick," Daniel told her.

"I know, but I promised," she said.

"Why don't I make it while you take a nap, maybe watch some TV and relax with Madelyn. She's only a week old. She's pretty low maintenance, right now," he suggested.

"What are we going to tell them about her? They're already asking questions," Betty asked.

"That their dad might have had a baby with another lady before he and their mom got together?" Daniel suggested.

"I think that's a little too complicated. How about . . . They might have a new sister and she's visiting us for a while," she tried to come up with a simpler explanation.

"Yeah, that's better. Less confusion," he agreed and chastely kissed her lips. "I'll go make the spaghetti and come get you when it's done."

"That sounds perfect if you could somehow morph into Gabriele from that cooking show," she joked.

"Hey, your dad and Bobby taught us a few things. I can handle it. Plus, I've got two little helpers who used to hang out in the kitchen all the time," he argued. "And I know your other reason for wishing that and I'm officially offended."

Betty watched, amused, as her husband pretended to sulk.

"Ulch . . . You are still _much_ sexier than he is, Daniel. I was just kidding," she rolled her eyes. "I'll even prove it to you later tonight, if I feel better."

Daniel's ego perked up again and he gave a satisfied smile.

"Just try not to burn anything – my sense of smell has been in overdrive lately," she requested.

"Great! Prepare for the meal of a lifetime!" he smiled and kissed her once more.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she teased.

"Hey! What happened to my favorite cheerleader? Have some faith in your sexy chef," he feigned offense.

Betty smirked.

"Go get 'em, babe!" she cheered, smacking his ass as he left.

"That's more like it," he grinned.

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" _Pregnant?!_ " Betty and Daniel both exclaimed at once.

"Yes, judging by your symptoms and the results of your blood test, you are pregnant, Betty," Dr. Robertson replied.

"B-But we weren't even trying – I-I was on the pill?!" Betty stammered, perplexed.

"Yeah, I mean except for that one time after that party, we've been _really_ careful!" Daniel added.

"One time is all it takes . . ." the doctor smiled, knowingly.

Daniel looked lovingly at Betty and kissed her cheek.

"We're having a baby," he pressed his forehead to hers.

Betty relaxed, relieved that Daniel was happy about the news. She was still overwhelmed, considering they had just adopted two children and Daniel might have a daughter with Maggie. However, it was a baby – a baby she and Daniel had created together out of love. The more she thought about it, the more excited she was.

"I hope he has your smile," she told Daniel.

"And your eyes," he said.

"Since this appears to be a happy accident, I will write you a prescription for your prenatal vitamins, some anti-nausea pills, and schedule an appointment for your first ultrasound," Dr. Robertson told the couple.

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"You see that little dot?" the obstetrician said.

"What that right there?" Daniel pointed, his other hand holding Betty's.

"Yes, that's your baby's head," Dr. Sanders smiled. "And _that_ , is the body. It looks like you're about ten weeks along."

"Awww . . ." Betty cooed.

"Wait, is that another head? Oh, my god – does our baby have two heads?!" Daniel asked, freaking out.

"Relax, Daniel. It's probably just another baby," Betty told him, then realized what she'd just said. "Oh my god – is that another baby? Do we have two babies?!"

"Actually . . . over here is baby number three," Dr. Sanders informed them.

" _Three?!_ " Betty exclaimed.

" _Triplets!_ You mean there are three babies growing inside of my wife right now?! That's amazing!" he exclaimed. "Wait – c-can she handle that? I-I mean she's so tiny. Will she be okay? Will they be okay?"

"Babe, I'm short - not made of glass," Betty reminded him.

"It's perfectly natural, Daniel. Your wife might have to go on bed rest during the final weeks of her pregnancy, but everything will be fine," Dr. Stiles assured him.

"I still don't understand – multiple births don't run in either of our families. And I've never been on fertility drugs," Betty reasoned.

"Actually, my great-great-grandmother was an identical twin, but her sister died of the measles when she was two," Daniel told her.

"Oh. You never told me that before," she said. "That's so sad."

"Yeah. I guess it never came up," he shrugged.

"Multiple births can occur regardless of family history or fertility drugs," Dr. Sanders replied.

"They're healthy, aren't they?" Betty questioned, afraid she'd consumed or done something that might have harmed them.

"Yes, the babies all seem to be developing at a normal and healthy rate," she assured her. "And in a few more months we can determine the sex."

Betty and Daniel smiled at each other.

"I'll let you two talk. See you at your next appointment," Dr. Sanders told them and left.

"Triplets," Daniel grinned.

"Apparently we're both very fertile," she laughed.

Daniel chuckled, then quieted and tenderly kissed her belly. She smiled down at him.

"You look happy," she observed, glad he wasn't freaking out.

"I am. I'm _really . . ._ _happy_ ," he confirmed, bringing his lips to hers.

"I just thought with all that's been going on with the adoption and Maggie's baby, that you wouldn't be up for this, too," she admitted, toying with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Are you kidding? Betty, this is amazing!" Daniel assured her. "I have _five_ kids with the woman I love. How could anyone not be happy about that? Unless . . . Are you not happy?"

"No! No, I was just afraid you wouldn't be. I mean one more child right now was a big enough surprise alone, but three? It's going to be a lot to handle, Daniel. Not everything is going to be a trip to Coney Island or the zoo," she reminded her husband as they walked out of the office.

"I know that, Betty. I know that things won't always be perfect. But every day that I spend with you and our kids is better than spending a day without you or them," he took her hand in his as they continued to walk toward the town car.

Betty looked up at her husband coyly, amazed at how he could still manage to melt her heart.

"We've always been a team, right?" Daniel reminded her. "So whatever happens, we'll deal with it together. Whether it's the kids or Maggie . . . I know I've got you, babe."

" _Aww . . ._ you remembered our song . . ." she leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked along.

"Oh yeah . . . karaoke at that pizza place," he mused as he helped her into the car. "God, that seems like it was a decade ago . . ."

"That's because it was," she replied. "I don't think either one of us realized that those lyrics really were perfect for us."

"We should go back there," Daniel suggested.

"What, now?" Betty questioned.

"Tonight. Mom can watch Bella, Nicky, and Maddie for us," he proposed.

"Daniel, your mom might have other plans. It's a little short-notice," Betty warned him.

"Are you kidding? The second I mention spending time with her grandchildren, she'll drop everything – trust me. Besides, after we tell her there are three more coming, she'll be so happy she'll probably offer to take Bella, Nicky, and Maddie for the whole weekend," Daniel replied, confidently.

"We'll see," she conceded a little.

"It's a date," he insisted. "Say it with me, baby."

" _Daniel . . ._ " she protested.

"C'mon, Betty. We need this," Daniel coaxed, pleading with his blue puppy dog eyes.

"Okay. It's a date," she relented.

"Good," he teased her lips, then deepened the kiss. "You think Mom really will take the kids for the weekend?"

"If not, there's always my dad . . ." she answered, optimistically. "Only now I feel guilty."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Nicky and Bella haven't been with us that long and already we need a break from them? What kind of parents _are_ we?" she questioned. "Not to mention, poor Madelyn has been bounced around so much lately. And we still haven't determined who her biological father is yet."

"We're good parents, Betty - normal ones. We have to have a break every once in a while. And with everything that's been going on, I think now would be a really good time for one. It won't make us bad parents," he assured her. "This little break will make us better. Our attorney's already on the case and the DNA results won't be in until next week. There's nothing we can do about it."

"Okay . . ." she reluctantly agreed, still feeling guilty. But as Daniel kissed her again, it made the guilt fade for a little while.


	13. Chapter 13

_Sorry it's been so long since I've posted a new chapter. It's been a busy few months, but here it is. Enjoy! :) P.S. Just read that America Ferrera said they are having serious conversations about a reunion movie/episodes, but to keep making noise if we want it to happen. So please Tweet, post, whatever, as much as you can to make it happen! #HuluBringBackUglyBetty_

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The DNA results confirmed that Madelyn was in fact Daniel's daughter. Betty felt both relieved and disappointed. Part of her was glad that they knew for sure who the baby's father was. However, the other part of her felt upset – even jealous that Maggie would have a hold on Daniel for the rest of their lives, small as it was in comparison to the connection she herself had with him.

The custody hearing had just let out and she couldn't believe her ears when she heard the judge's decision.

"Are you freakin' kidding me?!" Betty exclaimed, still reeling with anger as they arrived home. "How could he possibly expect you to give a job to that woman?! She doesn't have any custody rights because she gave them up, so why do you owe her anything? Her employment status isn't your problem."

"I know . . . but she got lucky having an old college boyfriend turn out to be a really good lawyer. Probably slept with him – probably bribed the judge, too . . . Damn it! This is a nightmare!" Daniel grumbled, throwing down his briefcase in frustration.

"Maybe we can prove it?" she pondered.

"Yeah . . ." he scoffed.

"No, Daniel, I'm serious," Betty insisted.

"Betty, it's not worth the fight. At least Maggie's not getting any shares of the company – those are for Madelyn only. And we have the right to fire her, if it's within reason," he objected.

"I guess you're right," she agreed. "We should be grateful for having full custody of your daughter."

" _Our_ daughter, Betty. She's ours, now," Daniel corrected her, smiling down at his child in his wife's arms.

"I never thought I could love someone that came from someone so despicable . . . but that little baby is the sweetest thing. She makes me smile just to see her smile. And you'd never know all that she's been through by looking at her. She's so happy . . ." Betty marveled, placing her in the bassinette before carefully maneuvering herself onto the couch.

"Yeah . . . I hope I don't upset you when I say this . . . I regret ever being with Maggie, but I'll never regret having Madelyn," Daniel confessed, sitting beside her.

"I understand. And I wouldn't want you to," Betty assured him. "I know you love me, Daniel. Our love is stronger than anything that's tried to come between us. This is just another obstacle we'll have to get through."

"I kept telling you we made a great team," Daniel teased. "Seriously, I don't know how I could have gotten through this without you. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, Daniel. I'd do anything for you – always have," she gave him a bittersweet smile.

"Me, too . . . C'mere," he pulled her into loving embrace the best that he could, considering she was at the end of her second trimester with triplets.

"And with your past, this was bound to happen sometime," she innocently remarked.

"Wait – what?!" he pulled back from her.

"Oh, come on, Daniel. You have to admit that with all the women you've slept with, the odds were pretty high that one of them would someday show up at your doorstep with a kid that really was yours," she shrugged.

"I was always responsible, Betty," Daniel insisted, offended. "And you act like I was a man-whore – actually you were the one who coined that phrase. You still think that – don't you?!"

"I don't anymore . . . Babe, why are you being so sensitive? I didn't mean anything by it," Betty assured her husband, gently stroking his jaw.

Daniel pulled away.

"I need to get out of here for a while . . . I'll pick up the kids . . . maybe take them for ice cream or to the park or something . . ." he quietly replied and headed for the front door.

"Daniel . . . don't do this! Don't leave like this," Betty pleaded.

Daniel left without a word, avoiding her eyes.

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Betty felt horrible. She had no idea Daniel would react the way he did. They both knew his past. Why did it suddenly bother him so much? She couldn't help but be apprehensive of his return. What if he didn't come back? What if he disappeared like he'd done so many times before when he was upset? And what about the kids – would he really run off with them, too, and leave her to have their babies alone?

And if and when he did return, she wasn't sure how to make things any better. It wasn't like she could change the past. And she thought she'd reassured him enough that she understood about Madelyn. The baby happened before they were together – it's not like he'd cheated on her. Sure, it bothered Betty that Madelyn's mother happened to be a woman she loathed, but Madelyn couldn't help that – and neither could Daniel. If anything, it was her fault he had been with Maggie. If only she'd taken a chance with him all those years ago, that baby would have been theirs. Well, not really. Maybe it was best this had happened. She cringed even thinking that thought, but she also hated to imagine that this sweet baby wouldn't have existed.

Betty loved Daniel so much. What if those few words ruined everything they'd built together? Surely their love was stronger than that. Daniel just needed time to cool off. Her comment had probably thrown him off-guard.

Daniel had to be back with the kids before dark, right? It wasn't a school night, but they still needed to eat and do their homework at some point. And Nicky more than likely need a bath. He almost always came home looking like he'd played in dirt. And Maddie . . . he wouldn't leave his daughter after he'd just been awarded custody . . .

She heard keys in the door and giggling from her two older children, who were carrying grocery bags. She breathed a sigh of relief . . . until she saw that who came in with them wasn't her husband.

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"Hola, Mija!" Ignacio greeted his daughter. "Since Daniel had to work late, I picked up the kids and thought I'd make everyone dinner."

"Gracias, Papi," Betty thanked her father. She held back the truth, hoping she might have time to talk to him after Nicholas and Isabella were busy with their homework. However, her father was more intuitive than she remembered.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, picking up his baby granddaughter and greeting her with a kiss.

"No! Everything is great! Nicky, Bella, why don't you guys go upstairs and put away your things. Wash your hands and change your clothes. Then you can help Grandpa with dinner," Betty told her kids. "Grazi!"

"She is such an angel. I haven't held someone so small in a long time," he smiled down at Maddie then noticed Betty's mood. "Mija, I know it's hard. You've been through a lot and this is difficult to accept. But it doesn't matter where this baby came from. She will give you lots of love."

"I know, Papi. But that's not why I'm upset . . . Daniel's not working late. I said something that he took the wrong way and he left . . . I-I don't know if he's coming back," she sighed, holding back tears, and grabbed the potato chips out of the grocery bag.

Ignacio took them from her and placed them in the pantry.

"Hey!" Betty protested.

Ignacio gave his daughter a knowing look.

"We all say things without thinking, Betty. Daniel will be back. He loves you and your children," he assured her. "No te preocupes, todo sera bien."

"He's disappeared before . . . the last time it was six years until I saw him again," she argued. "I think I really hurt him – and I didn't mean to. I didn't even realize what I said would bother him so much."

"Mija, you have to have faith – in your husband and in your marriage. Your mother and I had a lot of disagreements over the years. But we got through them and you will too, because you and Daniel have the same kind of passionate love that we had," her dad reassured her.

"Gracias, Papi," she hugged him from the side as Bella and Nicky came back into the room.

"Can we have a sleepover with Grandpa? Please?! Per cortesia?!" they begged.

Betty looked at her dad, amused.

"Okay . . ." Ignacio chuckled. "I'll stay – as long as you two are good helpers in the kitchen."

The kids agreed and gave their grandpa big hugs. Betty grinned watching them and then took a sleeping Maddie upstairs to her crib. She wished Daniel had been there to see such a precious moment with their children.

Betty worried when she would see her husband again. He had to come back at some point, though. She needed to stop obsessing. They loved each other. This shouldn't be anything to be afraid of – right? Daniel had just been upset and needed to blow off steam. And instead of playing basketball, he'd needed to get out of the house completely. He'd come back – at least for the kids.

Betty didn't know why she'd become so pessimistic. She usually was more positive about things, but she guessed it came with all the stress and the hormones, and with loving someone more than anyone she'd ever loved. She had a lot more to lose at this point in her life. It was harder to keep a smile on her face when she felt like breaking down and crying. How could so few words end up pushing him away? Hopefully Daniel would come home by the end of the night, if not sooner. If he didn't, she wasn't sure what she'd do.


End file.
